


Shadows and The Things That Cast Them

by Fandom_Trash224



Series: Fallen Obi-Wan Universe [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark Obi-Wan Kenobi, Force Ghosts, Gen, I am so sorry, Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker, Like major divergence holy SHIT, My AU my rules, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, also clone rights babey, lotta off-screen murders, might be ooc? who knows, none of these chapters are beta-ed we die like men, stuff's gonna get. bad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-02-10 01:42:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18650350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandom_Trash224/pseuds/Fandom_Trash224
Summary: It’s been five years since the Clone Wars ended, and Anakin Skywalker has been more-or-less used with his life as a Jedi Master, but when an old ghost of his past resurfaces, he must find a way to not only protect the people around him, but his very way of life.





	1. A Bad Feeling

Anakin’s breathing was shallow as he took his focus inward, collecting his thoughts and emotions and willing himself to try and find calm.

Being summoned to the Council was something Anakin had become accustomed to at that point in his life, though prior to his ascension to the title of master, it was more for battle-planning and trouble-making. Now, it was for Council business, and being a Council-member, it was _his_ business.

He reflected his time as a padawan and knight, how much upset there had been, how much strife he had been put through. He had walked through fire and made it out, not completely unscathed, of course, but nothing time couldn’t heal. But, it was five years after the end of the Clone Wars, and everything was still chaos around him, and there were dark, churning waves within the depths of his mind, threatening to take him over the precipice and warp him into something he had sworn to fight.

 _Like_ _Him_.

Broken from his meditation, Anakin sighed with annoyance. This was not the first time thoughts of _Him_ pulled Anakin away from his meditation, but it was rather early on for it. Normally it was only as he went deep, reaching too far into the past, touching the dark scar in the back of his mind where he been manipulated and toyed with by the Sith Lord that had called himself Chancellor. _He_ had put a stop to it, but then again, _He_ …

Anakin shook his head, trying to erase the thoughts from his mind. It did not do well to dwell on the past or future. Live in the moment. That was the Jedi way. He wasn’t very good at it, never had been, but he was at least trying. He slowly sank back into his meditation, soothing his mind once more. The Council meeting was going to be nothing special, there were no thoughts he was meant to meditate on prior to it, simply calm himself and keep his shielding up as best as he could.

He was certainly getting better at that.

 _I’m just better at hiding it_.

He blinked out of his meditation. Now _that_ was new. Anakin had thought of _Him_ before, thought of their past, their present, their now non-existent future, but he had never _heard_ _Him_ before. Yes, he remembered _His_ lessons, of course he did, he called on them often when he was struggling, but he had never heard him speak. His voice was non-existent in his mind, much like Palpatine’s. Erase the voices that lied to him, that’s what he did, and yet…

Anakin huffed in annoyance. He may as well just get to the Council chambers, seeing as there would be no peace for him that morning. He wasn’t sure if it was because he couldn’t meditate, or simply because _He_ was in his thoughts once more, but the Force held a warning for him.

He would try to meditate on that later.

~#~

When he entered, he was greeted by the other masters with the warm distance he had become well-acquainted with during his younger years. He had once believed it would fade as time went on, once he himself finally became a master and proved himself worthy enough for a seat on the Council, but he quickly found this to not be the case. Before, it was because of a deep-seated fear and mistrust of the so-called “Chosen One”, but now, it was simply the awkwardness of new formalities for one that used to constantly ignore the Council.

There was also that sense of pity, of course. They didn’t mean it, he knew, but it was always there, a dark cloud over their lukewarm smiles. The whispers of the Temple didn’t help much with it, of course. Ever since the _Incident_ with _Him_ , there were always whispers around Anakin, about Anakin, and about the lineage he stems from. Talks of Dooku and _Him_ , talks of Ahsoka and Qui-Gon, even talks of Yoda could be heard, Skywalker always being involved somehow.

“ _Look at that lineage of the Skywalker boy. How can such a great line from such an amazing Jedi bring forth such dark times? Is this what balance is to mean?_ ”

Of course, that had nothing on the journalists of the holonet.

Anakin was suddenly, and rather acutely aware, that he had sat without thinking, and that the meeting had already begun. They were speaking of many things, with Anakin simply sitting there, silent, the Force strung tight like a bow waiting to fire. It made Anakin’s stomach flip with anticipation and worry.

_Patience, Anakin._

“Master Skywalker?”

Anakin startled slightly, cleared his throat, and spoke.

“Apologies, Master Windu. My morning has been somewhat… off.”

The older master arched an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly. The man, nearly five years ago, had little to no trust for Skywalker, and the feeling was rather mutual, but now that they served the Council together, things had changed, and for once, for the better.

“Off?” Windu asked, and Anakin felt a ping of concern in the Force.

Anakin nodded. “I…” _Feel as though I am standing at the edge of a moment, storm clouds on the horizon and powerless to stop it_ “I have a bad feeling. Like something is about to happen, but I can’t seem to figure it out.”

The other Council members nodded, making noises of understanding or agreement. It seems all could feel the tension in the Force pulled taught, ready to release the arrow. Almost in synchronization, they all looked to Yoda, who already seemed deep in thought.

“Meditate on this, I will,” Yoda said “Ignore this, we cannot.”

(Not after what happened last time)

The meeting had finished without much hassle afterwards. Mostly discussions of reparations, public image, possible changes in the order. There were also discussions of working with the Senate to try and find the slavers of the outer rim and free the padawans they had been capturing over the course of the war, but that was a discussion for another time (much to Anakin’s annoyance).

Anakin watched in silence as the other masters exited the room, their walks graceful and light, and he thought about why it was so easy for the public to see them as aloof, uncaring, un-loving. They held themselves that way, they never got too close, they never acted as if they cared. Of course, Anakin knew they cared more than they ever let on.

 _You’re my brother, Anakin. I trust you_.

As Yoda began his own departure, the small green creature gave the younger master a slow, sad look-over, and Anakin attempted to offer a rather half-hearted smile.

“Stay in here to meditate, you will?” The smaller Jedi asked, and Anakin nodded.

“It’s easier to do it in here, Master Yoda. It’s… A lot clearer.”

Yoda nodded, seemingly in understanding, and left the other master to his lonesome. Anakin sighed softly, rubbing his face in his hands. Five years later, and they were _still_ cleaning up, _still_ dealing with the aftermath. But, now that is was _only_ clean-up, and not trying to fight a war at the same time, it was certainly easier.

Well, certain aspects were, but that was neither here nor there.

He was finally settling back into his meditative state, slowly but surely recollecting himself from the earlier disturbances he felt, when the door to the chamber slammed open, startling Anakin  enough that he fell over onto the ground, which would have been rather embarrassing, but the sheer panic coming off the trooper that had burst into the room was enough to distract from that.

“What’s wrong?” He asked urgently.

“Sir-- There’s-- There was--“

“Slow down, trooper,” Anakin found himself saying, getting up to walk towards the young guard, placing a hand on his shoulder “Catch your breath, what's going on?”

“There was a breakout,” he gasped, and Anakin slowly pulled his hand away, the pit of his stomach flipping over uncomfortably “He escaped, we think he may have found a way to get the suppressors off, I-I’m sorry, I tried to be quicker, but I was halfway here when he got out, and--”

“ _Breathe_ , kid,” Anakin commanded, though his tone was gentle, if not shaken “ _Who_ escaped?”

 _Like he had to ask_.

The trooper looked up, and, despite the helmet, Anakin knew they were looking each other in the eyes. He could sense the trooper’s fear, but somewhere, in the back of his mind, he could feel the stirrings of his own.

_Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin. They’ll betray you._

“It was Kenobi, sir.” He said, and Anakin jerked away, as if the words had struck him.

It was impossible. _He_ couldn’t be back, _He_ couldn’t have gotten out. _He_ was still in the cell, where Anakin had left _Him_ nearly five years ago. Anakin would’ve felt it if _He_ had escaped, wouldn’t he?

A sudden, uncomfortable realization hit Anakin, and he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. The feeling he had all that day, was that what it was in anticipation for? The arrow still had not been released, thought. What did that _mean_ ? What _more_ was to come?

He needed to call the Council back.

~#~

Ever since _The Incident_ , the Senate was in chaos during most meetings. An emergency Chancellor had been elected, but had also, unfortunately, not been re-elected. All meetings ended in standstill, and they were lucky when something actually got _passed_.

Needless to say, Padmé was _frustrated_.

She watched with annoyance as two senators fought over the newest bill brought forth about Chancellor powers in wartime, which had been brought up at _least_ six times prior. Each time, put to the side and ignored until the next meeting, and Chancellor Griton, the “emergency” Chancellor, just sat there, doing nothing, saying nothing.

If there was one thing more annoying than too many actions, it was no action.

She closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose and trying to stop the oncoming migraine, but sadly, she was too late, and the pulsing behind her eyes began in full force. She sighed, straightening up in her seat as the argument came to a halt. She still had her eyes closed, but as total hush fell over the crowd, she opened them once more, and laid eyes on the same thing everyone was staring at.

For a moment, her heart skipped a beat.

There, in full Jedi robes, stood Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi Master she had once called her husband. After _The Incident_ , Padme had found herself pregnant (with twins, no less), and Anakin had found himself in the Jedi Council’s good graces. They had looked to each other for a path, a plan, but when neither found one, the room they shared fell silent. They loved each other, they always would, but both also knew the _danger_ in that. Especially after what happened to _Him_.

They broke it off, quiet and melancholic, looking at each other from a distance. Nine months later, two children were brought into the world, and nearly a year after that, brought into the care of the Jedi Order. Anakin and Padmé had not made eye-contact during the exchange.

And there he was, in full robes, looking more like a Jedi Master than she could have ever imagined the nine-year-old boy she met on Tatooine looking, with a grave expression on his face. It was not uncommon, at this point, for Jedi to come to the Senate meetings, but Padmé knew Anakin well, and she knew that face, and it made her skin crawl.

“Senators,” he began, and his tone was even, almost regal (and nothing like the nervous padawan that had helped protect her after those assassination attempts failed) “I apologize for intruding upon such important delegations, but I have dire news from the Council.”

Padmé almost hit the edge of her seat at that. News from the Council, and it was _dire_ . The last time it was dire, it was when _He_ had been arrested. But surely, that wouldn’t be the case, not this time. _He_ was locked away, some place that only the Jedi knew of. It was made for people like _Him_ , surely this had nothing to do with him.

Padmé’s skin was still crawling.

“This morning, the criminal and former Jedi master, known as Ob--” Anakin paused, then coughed, clearing his throat, though his voice still warbled as he spoke “Obi-Wan Kenobi escaped from the place he was being held.”

All at once, the Senate _exploded_ , screams and shock and rushed speaking filling the air. The “temporary” vice chair, whose name Padmé could not recall for the life of her, attempted to quell the chaos, but to no avail. It wasn’t until Anakin raised a single hand (the robotic one, the one he had once held her own hand with as they spoke their secret vows) that the Senate sank into silence once more.

“As you can imagine, the Council believes it is urgent that actions be taken to stop the criminal from returning to his path of destruction. He needs to be caught and placed back into custody before he can strike again. The Council has already begun to send out search parties, but the Council also believes that, if we are to apprehend him, we must work together, and pool our resources once more.”

There was now quiet murmuring amongst the senators, and, for a heart-stopping moment, Padmé thought they may reject Anakin’s claims, saying it was a Jedi attempt to grab power (a rumor unheard of since _The Incident_ ), but the murmuring quieted, and all eyes shifted from Anakin to Griton. The under-experienced Chancellor shifted uncomfortably, before speaking in a quavering, unsure voice that grated on Padmé’s nerves.

“I see no issue with helping the Jedi in capturing this murderous madman,” Padmé had to keep herself from flinching at hearing the man she had once called a friend be referred to like that “But this is a democracy. I shall put forward a vote.”

Padmé, like many other senators, didn’t hesitate to vote in favor of helping the Jedi apprehend _Him_. She glanced up at Anakin once again, and, just for the slightest moment, their eyes met.

As he looked away, Padmé couldn’t shake the feeling that this was not going to end well.

~#~

When he licked his lips, he tasted blood. His own, of course, seeing as one of the guards had managed to get a good hit in on his nose, which, while no longer broken, was certainly throbbing uncomfortably. Good. The pain would fuel him, help him forward as it had done when he was first attempting to escape capture.

The ship was quiet, its autopilot keeping it moving to its destination as Obi-Wan cleaned himself up and changed into something less conspicuous than the harsh orange prison uniform. The only real sounds came from the thrum of the engines and his own soft breaths, something he would’ve once considered eerie and off-putting, but now welcomed like an old friend after the chaos of the riot.

At first, silence had been something he loathed. That, and darkness. Ironic, considering who he was, _what_ he had become, but after nearly five years of biding his time, meditating and scheming, Obi-Wan found an ally in silence, and a brother in darkness. He learned to embrace them, learned to be one with them, until finally, _finally_ , his chance came.

He smiled as he stared out the viewport at the blue streaks of stars that told him he was truly in hyperspace. His reflection in the glass was something to behold.

His once neatly cut hair, short but well-managed, was now shoulder-length and unkempt, something that years in solitary with a fresher that only worked half the time would do to someone, he supposed. His eyes, usually blue, now were a constant, molten gold, swirling with the barely contained storm of rage and hate and-- And--

He scowled. _Betrayal_.

He pulled the elastic hair-tie he had stolen off of one of the guards during his breakout and did his best to messily tie up his unkempt auburn hair into one of the messiest buns he had ever seen, strands escaping it left and right, the bun itself limp and loose at the back of his head. Looking at himself again, he almost reminded himself of Qui-Gon after a particularly harsh battle or sparring session. The memory of his former master was almost enough to make him smile, but the bitterness of every other memory attached to the old man overpowered it.

He turned away from the window, a slight growl escaping him. He was going to make them _pay_ , _all_ of them. He had done them a _favor_ , he did the _right_ thing, he should’ve been a _hero_ (one that was good at pretending to not take pride in his actions), he was in the _right_ , even if he had done rather _messy_ things to get there.

Five years was all he had to show for it. Five years of _darkness_ and _silence_ and _cruelty_ with nothing but thoughts and imaginings of how he was going to _kill_ everyone that had turned their backs on him in bloody and painful ways to keep him company, keep him _sane_.

Well… Sanity was relative in this case.

He chose, of all things, to meditate as the time passed, as if he were on a simple mission, as he hadn’t just broken out of jail, killing just about anyone and everyone who dared crossed his path in a righteous fury. As if he wasn’t Fallen.

 _Fallen, perhaps, but not a Sith, despite what the color of my eyes may suggest_.

He sat there, breathing deep and reconnecting himself to the Force. Prior to being incarcerated, to being caught, to being _betrayed_ , connecting to the Force meant calming himself, releasing his emotions out slowly, allowing balance to come to him, like someone coaxing a wild animal over. The Force would be placid, still, warm but just barely so, like a still pool of water. Now, however, it was different. Obi-Wan had no peace in him, not anymore, so while the Force came easily to him, _balance_ did not come with it. This made the Force wild, chaotic, _electric_ and _harsh_ and _dark_ and _cold_ , a storm of epic proportions that he had no hope (or want) of containing.

And it was _beautiful_ . And to think it was within _him_ all this time.

The beeping of the console brought his attention from his state and back to the pilot’s seat, where Obi-Wan shut off the autopilot and pulled the ship from hyperspace. Instantly, he was greeted by by the sight of one of the most desolate planets Obi-Wan had ever seen.

“Moraband…” He whispered, surprising himself with how clear his voice he sounded. He stared in awe at the planet as harsh, heavy waves of darkness washed over Kenobi, threatening to drown him in it. He kept himself afloat, but only barely so, allowing himself to revel in the feeling of it. A wicked grin split his face, and he laughed aloud, something that some part of Kenobi (buried deep, but ever-present) recognized as sounding borderline unhinged.

It didn’t matter, though. Not just because of the fact that no one else was with him, but because when he accepted the darkness, he couldn’t help but feel as though the Force _sung_.

(Somewhere else, a long way away, a Jedi Master felt the Force scream)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please for the love of all that's good heed the "stuff's gonna get real bad" tag, it's a Real Thing (TM)
> 
> star wars tumblr: clonesdeservebetter.tumblr.com
> 
> kudos and comments are appreciated!


	2. A Night on Coruscant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which we see several familiar faces, and some more information comes to light (and some does not)

When Rex and what was left of the group formerly known as Torrent Company asked Ahsoka to be their designated driver, Ahsoka couldn’t find it in herself to say no. Partially because it was _Rex_ and _Torrent Company_ getting _drunk_ , which was a hilarious thought, but also because she wanted to get the hell out of the temple. All the talk of murder and rumors and _Obi-Wan_ was getting to her, making her wound up and stressed beyond belief, so even if she wouldn’t be drinking, going out for a night at 79’s with the guys sounded like _heaven_.

Most people, despite the fact that the clones now were seen as sentients equal to anybody else in the galaxy (thank you, Senators Amidala and Organa), still thought of the clones as weapons, tools to use in wartime, serious soldiers with no-nonsense attitudes that can and will pile drive you if you look at them funny. Ahsoka, of course, knew better, having fought alongside them, but the scene at 79’s would most certainly destroy any and all of those beliefs.

Fives was knocking back shots like nobody’s business, trying (and failing) to flirt with any sentient nearby that was not one of his _vode_ (with Echo simply shaking his head at his brother), Tup had gone off with a twi’lek somewhere, more than likely to suck face for a while, she lost track of Dogma on the dance floor, Jesse, Kix, and Hardcase were all talking with other _vode_ , swapping stories and jokes, and Rex, well, Rex was right beside her, taking in the chaos.

The captain was nursing the cocktail that was lovingly referred to as “The Thought-Killer” as he watched, and every so often would steal a glance at Ahsoka, a gesture she would reply with a simple smile and nod. They sat in content silence, only punctured by the occasional laugh that came with watching Fives strike out or Kix brag about his looks, until Rex said what was on the minds of just about everyone in the Republic.

“It’s true, isn’t it?” He asked, eyes still glued to Jesse and Kix, who had made Hardcase laugh so hard his drink had gone out his nose “Kenobi’s back.”

Ahsoka sighed. She had been worried about this. She had left the temple so she wouldn’t have to talk about Kenobi, or really even _think_ about the Fallen Jedi, but deep down, she knew there was no escaping it. It was public knowledge, after all, and if it hadn’t been one of the clones to ask it, then it would’ve been a civilian. Out of the two, she preferred it to be the one that she had stood beside for a year on the battlefield, and several more off of it.

“Yeah,” she said softly, bitterly “He is. At least, that’s what everyone in the temple is saying. I haven’t seen the security footage yet, but I heard it’s… _bad_.”

“Bad by Jedi standards or bad by Clone Wars standards?”

“Clone Wars. According to Anakin, anybody in his way was cut down like they were nothing once he got hold of a lightsaber. And before that, well,” she shifted in her seat slightly “Force abilities really are terrifying when being used by someone like him.”

“Yeah…” Rex agreed, taking a rather large sip from his drink “How’s Skywalker doing?”

“Anakin hasn’t been taking it well. He’s been working himself ragged trying to figure out where to find out where he may be hiding, so I haven’t seen much of him, but when I do…” She trailed off, the memory of Anakin’s eyes, which had gone from proud to wise over the past years, filled  now with _fear_ and _worry_. She recalled the hushed whisper of a favor asked.

“You okay?” Rex’s gentle question pulled her back to the present, and she started slightly.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking.”

Rex nodded, knowing better than to press. Ahsoka was rather grateful for that, as it not only dropped the topic, but allowed for a change in conversation.

“How have you all been, by the way? I heard Tup and a few other are planning on leaving the G.A.R. now.”

“Tup, Dogma, Boil, Waxer, hell, there are even rumors that Wolffe’s considering it.”

“And you? Have you considered it?”

Rex’s easy smile faded, and he sighed.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I don’t think I could leave if I tried, really. I’ve been so deep into this army, been through so much with it. I’ve seen the domestic life, Ahsoka, and it’s just not for me.”

There was so much melancholy in Rex’s words, Ahsoka couldn’t help but place a hand on his forearm, a small but reassuring smile on her lips.

“Well, you know what they say,” Ahsoka raised her glass of water up slightly in a toast “To each their own.”

“To each their own.” Rex echoed, toasting right back with a small smile. They drank their drinks and continued to talk about various light topics, laughing and joking, and even eventually joining the other troopers in their own discussions all the way up until last call, after which she drove them all (save for Tup, who had gone home with the twi’lek for “further inspection”, an expression that Jesse whistled at and Fives grumbled about) back to the barracks of Coruscant.

“Hey Ahsoka,” Rex said, his words slurring together ever so slightly “Be careful with all this… _you know who_ business, alright? I’ve got a bad feeling about it.”

“Of course, Rex, now go get some rest, okay?”

~#~

By the time she got back to the temple, it was late. Way too late. The kind of late that had her former master worried sick, pacing in the hangar, and rushing towards her with intense concern across his features.

“What took you so long?” Anakin asked, pulling Ahsoka into a hug, and Ahsoka pulled away to answer.

“Traffic was bad, I had to take a detour just to get back here before dawn,” she paused, and took in Anakin’s tired eyes and sagged posture “Are you okay, Master?”

“I’m fine, Snips. Just tired.” He sighed out, pulling back into himself and standing up a bit straighter.

“Have you been sleeping?” She asked, and when he stayed silent, her face twisted into one of outraged concern “Anakin! I know this is stressful, but if we’re going to have any chance against Obi-Wan, we all need to be at our best! This isn’t the Clone Wars, Skyguy, it’s just one man.”

“He’s not _just_ one man, Ahsoka,” Anakin snapped “He’s Obi-Wan kriffing Kenobi. He’s a traitor, and Fallen, and he’s only been out for two days and ten people are already dead-“

“What?!” Ahsoka exclaimed, and Anakin visibly flinched “What do you _mean_ ten people are already dead?”

Anakin stared at Ahsoka, apprehension filling his features before he sighed and motioned for Ahsoka to follow him. The two began walking through the halls of the Temple, Anakin explaining (in hushed tones, it was late after all) the newest information the Council and Senate had received regarding Kenobi.

“Dooku was being held in the same place as Obi-Wan. Not the brightest idea, I know, I argued as much as I could, but the Council just wanted to get them behind bars and off the streets. When Kenobi got out, Dooku did, too. Neither of them were very happy to see each other. The security footage was… hard to watch.”

“So his first victim was Dooku… the others?”

“Mostly guards, but two were special. A bounty hunter and his cargo. Apparently, the hunter had been dropping off his victim when Kenobi found them, killed them, and stole the ship.”

“Were we able to track it?”

“No. They lost track of it a few hours after the breakout, but we’ve posted the specs all over the holonet. If he’s still using it, we’ll find it.”

Ahsoka nodded, satisfied with the strategy, but she was still frowning. She cast her eyes to the floor. She couldn’t stop thinking about what Anakin had made her promise, how serious the whole situation was. It had taken them nearly four years to accept that Obi-Wan was no longer the man they had known, the man that they had fought beside, trained with, been to hell and back with. Four years, and they finally talked about it, and Ahsoka was knighted nearly a week later.

Now, only a year after finally accepting it, he was back, and it was all so much _worse_.

“Anakin?”

“Yeah?”

“If you encounter Obi-Wan, I mean, if you fight him,” she looked to him, pleading “Please don’t do anything reckless. Win the fight however you have to, please, just… Don’t die, okay? I don’t want to have to tell Luke and Leia about how much of a hero their father was without you being there.”

Anakin looked at her, confused for a moment, then concerned, then a soft, sad, and tired look shone in his eyes.

“Snips…”

“Please, Skyguy. You made me make a promise to watch over them, but I want _you_ to promise that _I_ won’t have to.”

Anakin looked like he was going to argue, but smiled softly instead, the look of soft melancholy never leaving his eyes.

“I promise.”

~#~

Rex wanted to leave the G.A.R. It was a thought he had often grappled with since the end of the war, as all the clones who had been in active duty did the first few years. It had taken a few months for the decision to be legal for a clone to make, but even then, there were many who hesitated.

With the freedom of the clones came many innovations that had been held in secret for some time, such as the aging serum, giving them a chance to age like everybody else. The ability to remove the dangerous and sinister chips implanted in their minds that had been revealed after a thorough investigation into the Chancellor’s records post-mortem. These were things that most clones had jumped at the chance get, they wanted to live longer, be their own person, make their own decisions, and yet, when faced with one of the biggest decisions they had ever been given, most hesitated.

More than likely, it was due to years of indoctrination and manipulation into believing that serving the Republic was the best thing they could do, the _only_ thing they could do. Ever since he had met Cut, Rex couldn’t have helped but wonder what his life would’ve been like, had he been given the choice sooner. Would he have met someone? Settled down? Had a family of his own to brag to his _vode_ about?

He had come to the realization, after the Chancellor was killed, that he wouldn’t have.

Rex, whether it was due to excessive training, or indoctrination, or even just being around Skywalker and Tano for too long, was a soldier. Maybe he wasn’t the best, maybe he wasn’t a commander, but he was war-forged, battle-hardened, and he couldn’t imagine himself in anything else but regulation blacks or armor, not even an officer’s uniform seemed to fit him in his mind’s eye. Cut had adjusted to domestic life with ease, because it made him feel like he was worth something, and Rex had been honest as to why he stayed in the G.A.R. in the first place. He was _fighting_ for something, something he genuinely believed in.

And yet…

What he had believed in had been a lie. He had been built not for winning a war, but ending one. The Chancellor was a Sith Lord, he had been playing both sides, manipulating everything and everyone, and no matter who won, he would be the one victorious. Had it not been for Kenobi figuring it out, stopping the Chancellor’s plot, Rex knew that he would’ve been just another pawn in an endless game of chess. He would’ve never been given an impossible choice.

The thought of Kenobi made Rex’s stomach churn, and he finally gave in to the fact that sleep did not want to take him that night. His thoughts all swirled and rolled, like the waves on Kamino during a rather bad storm, and he slowly got out of bed, doing his best to remain as quiet as he could. He knew that the others needed as much sleep as they could get, considering the night they had just finished up.

He pulled on his armor, sans helmet, and took to strolling through the dimly lit hallways, making his way to the long-range holo that was in the communications center, praying it was as empty as the rest of the base. Something in the Force or whatever ruled the universe must’ve listened, because it was completely deserted, save for a few droids scattered around, either cleaning or relaying messages or simply passing through to another location.

He walked over to one of the many consoles in the room, a long-range holocaller that Rex had been frequenting a lot during his time on Coruscant. His muscle-memory allowed him to punch in the number he was trying to reach without even noticing, only paying attention to it once it started ringing. After three rings, the other side picked up.

“This is Commander Cody speaking.”

“Hey _vod_ ,” Rex said, smiling as he saw the face of older brother “How’s it going?”

Cody’s face broke into a grin, the hologram flickering slightly for a moment before stabilizing. The commander shot a look over his shoulder, glaring at an unseen person, before turning back to Rex.

“Hey Rex, sorry, damn nat-born was fiddling with the settings. I swear, these cadets act like they’ve never had any training before…”

“Eh, they get training. Nothing like the training on Kamino, though, so that probably explains it.”

“Yeah, probably,” Cody said, and it was that same bitter tone he always used when it came to talking about the volunteers that had signed up to help keep peace in various sectors while the Republic still healed “But enough about them. What’re you doing up right now? Isn’t it late on Coruscant?”

“Couldn’t sleep. There’s… a lot going on right now, you know?”

“Oh? Like what?” Cody said, and Rex blinked in surprise.

“You… don’t know?”

“Is this about your decision on whether or not to stay in the army? Because if you’re still having trouble with it, I already told you I can’t help much with that. I’ve got too much of a bias.”

Rex felt all the blood drain from his face, and Cody’s face and tone took on an edge of concern.

“Rex, you okay _vod_?” He asked, and Rex only stared at the blue hologram of his brother, stunned. Why hadn’t Cody been informed yet? Was he the only one who hadn’t been told, or had nobody in the fleet been told? Why wouldn’t they tell the fleet? Was there a reason, or were things just so hectic that it had slipped the Senate and Jedi’s minds? Maybe they just hadn’t gotten around to telling Cody yet?

What if they simply didn’t _want_ him to know?

Rex took a steadying breath, and sighed it out, already making a decision before he even knew he had to make one. Cody deserved to know. He was probably one of the names at the top of Kenobi’s list, after all.

“Cody,” Rex said, lowering his voice “We need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos and comments appreciated!
> 
> star wars blog: clonesdeservebetter.tumblr.com


	3. The Second First Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which a committee is reformed, we get a glimpse into the calm before the storm, and something unexpected happens (though, in hindsight, perhaps it should have been expected)

One thing that was often observed during the Clone Wars, and even after it, was that Jedi and the clones under their command had a tendency to rub off on each other. Good habits, bad habits, body language, even the way they spoke had a tendency to mimic each other. This was both a good thing and a bad thing.

When a commander or captain picked up their general’s habit of being meticulous, or following protocol, or dispensing wisdom or compassion or any number of things to support their troops, it was a good thing. When they picked up their general’s battle tendencies, or tics, it could go either way, even be the very thing that changes the tide of battle or negotiation. When they picked up their general’s recklessness, however, or their tendency to ignore the Council or Senate’s wishes, or their love for forgoing a mission to try and save one person, it was usually not a good thing.

And when a general fell to the dark side, their commander was instantly put under suspicion. All their troops were, really, but their commander _especially_. Cody found this out the hard way, in a way he never could’ve expected.

But then again, who _could’ve_ expected it?

He still remembered when it happened, when the Chancellor had been assassinated and, after a single note with an accusation from the killer, was found to be a Sith Lord. When, just a few days later (days that blurred together in Cody’s mind), his general had arrived at the door to Cody’s quarters.

Something else that clones tended to pick up, something that most overlooked or didn’t really think about, was the ability to tell when something was troubling their general before the Jedi ever said anything, no matter how calm or neutral their face was. When he had opened the door to greet Kenobi, all it took was one look in Kenobi’s eyes, past the mask of determined calm, for Cody to know something was off.

_“General,” Cody had begun “Is there something wrong?”_

_“Not yet, but there will be soon,” the Jedi had replied, glancing around the halls of the barracks, like a fugitive on the run “I couldn’t think of who else to tell this to. Cody, you’re going to hear things about me. Terrible things. I need you to trust me, no matter what you hear, alright?”_

_“Of course, sir.” Cody trusted the man with his life, and he knew Obi-Wan felt the same. But something was still wrong with the look in Kenobi’s eyes._

_“I’m going to be leaving Coruscant tonight, I’m taking a ship to Tatooine, and I’m going to lay low there until things settle. Once that happens, come get me. I’ll send you my coordinates over our commlink. You must promise not to tell another soul where I’m going Cody,” He paused, and his face finally betrayed his anxiety “Please. You’re the only one on Coruscant I can trust right now.”_

And like an idiot, a blind idiot who could not feel the darkness warping around the man that once felt like lightning on the battlefield and sunlight when he smiled, Cody only said one word.

_“I promise.”_

Breaking a promise was a serious thing. There were always consequences, whether it was the legal kind, or the social kind, or any other number of kinds, something bad always came from breaking a promise. Cody, originally, had no intention of breaking _that_ promise. Not even when Kenobi’s face was plastered on wanted posters for treason and murder all across the galaxy, not even when he was placed on the team to help hunt down Kenobi, alongside so many others who knew Kenobi well, not when the group had begun to suspect him of hiding information, not even when he learned that Kenobi really _had_ killed the Chancellor, and that it wasn’t just some rumor of accusation from an angry Jedi who wanted someone to blame. He had to have a reason, a _good_ reason, because Kenobi always had a good reason for doing something, no matter how… _questionable_ that something was.

It wasn’t until Cody had learned the _full_ extent of what Kenobi had done, of what he had become, that Cody finally allowed his lips to loosen, and he spilled the secret he had been entrusted with.

Two knights, a master, and attempt on both Windu and Skywalker, a senator and his family (a wife, two kids), and, finally, the Chancellor himself. It was all planned, all calculated, all done with seemingly no remorse. It was not something that Cody had ever thought the general he knew, the general he respected, would ever be capable of doing.

He had been arrested once he revealed that he had been lying to everyone, but he didn’t even try to fight it, simply told them what they needed to know, refusing to meet anybody’s eyes. He had been released only as soon as Kenobi had been caught, a confrontation that had apparently nearly resulted in the deaths of several people. When Cody had asked why they freed him, allowed him to exist with little to no real punishment, Skywalker only said one thing.

_“We were all fooled. It’s not your fault you were, too.”_

(Though, many others told him living with the shame was punishment enough.)

The trial was still a blur in his mind, something he didn’t even try to remember, and the thought of visiting the man whose secret he gave away made his stomach churn, so the very last time he saw the man that he once called his general was when the passed each other in the halls of the brig, dark gold eyes meeting bright blue ones, both filled with betrayal and bitterness. Cody had thought (hoped) that it would be the end of it, that the Republic would work to undo all that had been done, that the name Kenobi would finally fade from everyone’s memory.

But of course, the universe always punished those who broke their promises, no matter what the reason. Kenobi had escaped, and Cody hadn’t even been _informed_ , and he was now in the newly recycled task force that was dedicated to hunting down Obi-Wan Kenobi, just two days after Rex told him what happened, four days since the breakout actually happened. Five years since he passed by the man he once would’ve been proud to fight and die beside, the sting and bite of the broken promise between them.

“Cody?” A familiar, yet more mature than he remembered voice pulled Cody from his swirling memories, once kept deep within his mind “Are you alright?”

“Yes, Master Tano,” Cody replied, looking up at the holographic form of the Jedi Knight known as Ahsoka Tano “Just thinking.”

“I know how you feel,” Tano said, and he could hear the deep melancholy in her voice “Don’t worry. I know we’ll find him.”

 _That’s what I’m afraid of._ Came the bitter thought, but he didn’t voice it. Tano only meant to try and ease his worries, not inflame them. It’s not her fault she only made it worse.

“Ahsoka’s right,” Senator Amidala chimed in, and Cody was rather surprised to hear the tiredness in her voice, considering how well she usually hid it “We have to focus on the mission. Speaking of, will Master Skywalker and Master Vos be joining us soon? We need to start discussions about possible locations Kenobi may be-“

As if on cue, Skywalker’s blue form flickered into existence on the holotable, just between Amidala and Tano, looking rather worse for wear. It almost reminded Cody of other commanders after particularly rough campaigns, or even of Kenobi during the whole course of the final few months of the war.

He really should’ve seen the fall coming sooner. They all should have.

“Sorry I’m late,” Skywalker said, straightening his robes slightly “Vos won’t be coming, he’s too busy skimming through his contacts. He’ll join once he’s done, or once he’s found something.”

Amidala nodded, and Cody couldn’t help but glance between the Master Jedi and the Senator (and if the corner of his eye told him anything, neither could Ahsoka or Rex). After what happened with Kenobi, their scandal seemed like such a minor thing, but a scandal nonetheless, and it was often whispered about on the holonet and amongst the ranks, both clone and nat-born alike.

“While he’s working on that,” Rex, who was standing next to Amidala not just in hologram form, but also in person, cut in “We should probably start going over what we know. _Everything_ we know.”

Cody barely kept himself from wincing. Rex had forgiven him, as most others had, after his secret-keeping, but Cody couldn’t help but feel some part of Rex still held some semblance of anger from it. Cody couldn’t blame him.

“Of course,” Cody managed to keep his voice even, by some miracle, and with a few button presses, the four holograms were now also standing around the table, looking at a starmap “Kenobi was last spotted in this section of the Outer Rim, and we have reason to believe he’s heading towards Mandalore, but no Mandalorians have reported seeing any trace of him yet.”

“So, he’s after something else, then?”

“Possibly. There’s also been a sighting of him in person on several small planets and moons along the Shaltin Tunnels, but not attempts at actual contact have been made. Apparently, after his last sighting, just over a day after his breakout, he disappeared. There haven’t been any sightings since.”

“Well, on the bright side, we have a general idea of where he may be located.” Amidala said, attempting to seem cheerful.

“Yeah, but the bad news is that a lot of the planets over there used to be Separatist planets. They may not be too keen on us looking around.” Skywalker countered bitterly, and Tano sighed.

“If we explain to them why we’re there, they might be more open to the idea.” The Jedi Knight said “And worst comes to worst, we could consider it a stealth mission. You know, stay undercover.”

“We’re too well-known, Snips. Undercover’s gonna be a bit hard for us.”

“Not if we do it _well_ , Skyguy."

Cody sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and leaning against the table slightly. This was going to be a long meeting.

~#~

_Several years ago_

 

“I’m not one to usually question a Council decision, but are we _sure_ this is the best course of action?” Cody asked, watching as the Jedi sipped on the cup of Jawa Juice with almost practiced nonchalance “I mean, if the killer is a Jedi like everybody thinks, wouldn’t it stand to reason that we keep them _away_ from the Senators, especially if we think the killer isn’t just switching targets to throw us off?”

“It would, but since we’re keeping rather _meticulous_ records of which Jedi went to which Senator, as well as other various surveillance measures,” Obi-Wan said, shrugging slightly “I suppose both the Council and the Senate believe the killer, whoever they are, will not strike again. There’s too much risk of getting caught.”

Cody nodded. That made sense, considering what they knew of the killer (next to nothing, but what they knew, they _knew_ ), but something still made Cody uneasy. A voice kept nagging him in the back of his head that something was _wrong_ , something _bad_ was about to happen, the way it did on the battlefield when there was going to be rather heavy casualties, but he chalked it up to the whole situation being just as stressful as any campaign he had ever fought in.

“You seem troubled, Cody,” Obi-Wan said, and the concern in his voice made Cody sit up a bit straighter “May I ask what’s on your mind?”

Cody looked up and down his general’s face, not quite staying on his eyes long enough for real contact with them, as he debated his options. Surely he could tell Kenobi about the dreams, the nightmares. Kenobi wouldn’t tell the Kaminoans, would he?

No, Cody decided, he wouldn’t.

“I’ve…” Cody said, his voice faltering slightly before his dropped it to a shamed whisper “I’ve been having nightmares, sir.”

Instantly, the casualness in the air disappeared, and Obi-Wan sat nearly bolt upright, a spark igniting in his eyes that Cody could only describe as “hyper-curiosity”. It was not a look his general wore well, or often, or really ever. Briefly, Cody felt like he had made the wrong decision, but it was much too late to turn back, no matter how loud the voice in the back of his head told him that something bad _was going to happen_.

“Nightmares?” Kenobi asked, also dropping his voice to a whisper as he leaned forward “What sort of nightmares?”

“I don’t know, I don’t remember them well,” Cody said cautiously, barely holding himself from cringing at the lie “There’s an order given by the Chancellor, you get shot down, the whole Jedi Order is attacked, Skywalker…”

Cody’s voice faltered again, and Obi-Wan slowly reached his hands across the table, taking Cody’s own with such gentleness that Cody almost felt like he should be blushing.

“Anakin fell, didn’t he?” Obi-wan whispered, and his eyes looked so sad, so tired and weary yet so determined, that Cody almost didn’t process the question fully.

“Yes sir,” Cody whispered back “How did you--“

“I’ve had a similar dream recently. Anakin fell, I almost died, but also…” Obi-Wan trailed off, then shook his head and offered Cody a warm but tired smile “This isn’t about me. Have you been having this nightmare often?”

Cody nodded, and Obi-Wan pulled a single hand away to stroke his beard. It was obvious that something was troubling his general, but that he wasn’t letting on just how bad it was. As usual.

“It’s fine, sir,” Cody said, ignoring the severe hypocrisy of what just thought when Kenobi was doing it “I can manage. Oh, by the way, I heard you were assigned to the Chancellor himself.”

Obi-Wan looked at Cody critically for a moment, before sighing, a sure sign that he resigned the fact that the conversation was over, and a new topic was presenting itself.

“Indeed, apparently he requested my presence specifically. Well, he had requested Anakin first, but Anakin chose to protect Senator Amidala instead, so I was the next best option I suppose.”

“If there’s anyone who can protect the Chancellor from threats against the Republic, it’s you and General Skywalker, sir.”

Obi-Wan smiled, and Cody smiled back despite the cold out that had opened in his stomach as the voice in his mind continued its whispered chant.

“I assure you, Cody, I would do anything to protect the Republic. I won’t let anything happen.”

~#~

_Present day_

 

Ahsoka was more than 100% done with the whole situation, and it hadn’t even fully begun yet. She was still standing in her room, discussing plans to find Kenobi and arrest him, and she knew she wasn’t the only one tired of it. Anakin was getting overly-snarky, Padmé looked even more tired than she had at the beginning, Cody was still pinching the bridge of his nose or rubbing his temples at various intervals, and Rex was continuously shifting in discomfort.

It was nearly an hour in, and not only had they not come up with a solid plan, but Quinlan Vos _still_ hadn’t shown up. As if reading her mind, Anakin crosses his arms.

“Where the _hell_ is Vos, anyways?” Her former master asked, a slight growl in the back of his throat “This would be a lot easier with information from him.”

“Who knows? Maybe he got caught up in a drinking competition.” Cody said bitterly, and Anakin shot him a warning look.

“I’m sure wherever Vos is,” Padmé said “He’s doing something important.”

~#~

“Another round for everybody!” The weequay captain that was now Quinlan’s best friend declared, and the crowd in the bar sent up a cheer, Quinlan himself included.

Quinlan had been bar-hopping for information on Kenobi when he met the pirate captain Hondo Ohnaka, and he didn’t regret a single second afterwards. The man knew how to party, knew how to let loose and have fun, and, best of all, knew how to _drink_ like it was _the end of the world_ , which was something Quinlan had wanted to start doing since he heard Kenobi had broken out of prison.

Hondo had asked for a private alcove, where the two could talk about connections and other various morally loose things, as one did when one was a rather loose-ruled Jedi meeting a pirate captain. The fact that they both had known Kenobi was also a plus, as it gave them something to laugh about while they drunk, and something to be somber about until their next glass.

“You know,” Quinlan began quietly during one of the more somber moments “He was one of the greatest Jedi most of us had ever known, not to mention a brilliant general, and an amazing warrior. Or diplomat, I suppose, really whichever the situation called for.”

“I know,” Hondo said, tracing the rim of his empty glass “Kenobi was a good man, before all that nasty business with the murders.”

“I _know_ ! He was one of the best people I knew, even if he was a bit of a stickler for rules and protocols sometimes. How can someone like him, someone so _good_ become… _that_?”

“I don’t know, my friend, but everyone has their reasons. Perhaps you can find out when you capture him again, eh? Oh! And be sure to say hi to him for me!”

Quinlan let out a rather loud “HA”, and took a sip from his near-empty glass, smiling as he simply enjoyed the flavor. He would definitely enjoy spending more time with Hondo, whether for information or simply to get away from the stuffiness of the temple life, and could already see a lifelong friendship that, hopefully, did not involve kidnapping, drugging, or arresting. The droid finally came back with two more drinks, beeping something that sounded like “last one, assholes”, but binary was rather prone to sounding like swearing if one wasn’t completely fluent in it. Quinlan nodded at the droid, and, with an upward quirk of his lips, raised his glass for a toast, Hondo mirroring him in turn.

“To new friends!” Hondo cheered.

“To new friends.” Quinlan echoed, sipping from the glass once more before setting it down on the table. He had been about to talk to Hondo again, when they were interrupted.

“Uh, b-boss?” One of the crewmen poked his head into the small alcove “I think you and your Jedi pal may wanna see this.”

Hondo and Quinlan exchanged a look before following the crew member’s gaze, where the large screen behind the bar was lit up and being watched almost terrifyingly close. As the pirate and the Jedi got a good look at the screen, if either of them had been holding a drink, they would’ve dropped it.

“Hello there,” the accented voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi said, a wide smile on his face “It’s been quite some time, hasn’t it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -obi-wan vc- hello there.  
> fun fact: i rewrote my outline like a million times to try and decide which characters i would include in this fic! hondo and quinlan won out because the thought of them interacting is literally the best thing to me.
> 
> kudos and comments are appreciated!
> 
> star wars tumblr: clonesdeservebetter.tumblr.com


	4. Forsaken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which a message is received, we see two Jedi have a chat before everything went wrong, and the scent is picked up.

“It’s been quite some time, hasn’t it?”

The Council stared at the recording of the broadcast with mixed feelings: horror, grief, fear, and even some rage. Anakin sat in his seat, refusing to rewatch it with the rest of the Council, instead opting to stare at the floor, hands clasped tightly together and pressed against his lips. He may not have been looking, but he could, unfortunately, hear every word (as if he hadn’t memorized it after rewatching it over and over with the committee once Quinlan finally decided to join them).

“It’s been about five years, if my math is correct, but do forgive me if I’m wrong. It’s hard to tell time when you’re imprisoned and kept away from all outside contact, save for the guard that brings you your food, and even he wouldn’t talk to me.”

Anakin remembered seeing Ahsoka’s wide eyes fill with shock as she covered her mouth, Rex and Padmé backing away almost simultaneously, Rex stepping in front of the senator almost instinctively, and Cody’s face go almost completely slack, numb with shock, but his eyes were filled with such a deep, bone-aching sorrow and rage that Anakin almost took a step back from the clone’s holographic form. Anakin himself, after watching the others, could barely keep his eyes off the broadcast, his whole body tensing up and breaking out into a cold sweat. 

Kenobi’s appearance was different than what Anakin had seen all those years ago, when he visited his old master in his new prison before leaving him, and everything else, behind. It had been hard, in the beginning, but it was worth it in the end. It had to be.

Anakin tuned back into the Council’s viewing, realizing he had let his mind wander so far, that he had missed an entire section of Obi-Wan’s tirade. It wasn’t anything too important, nothing too long, just sarcastic remarks about the prison and how  _ wonderful _ it was, how he was grateful to the Order and the Republic for allowing him the chance to truly find out just how deep the dark went, how to take his anger and hatred and all the other negative emotions he had and  _ use  _ them instead of letting them go, and a little bit about the prison himself. Now, he was at the part that made this even more of an emergency than it had been prior.

“I think we all agree that I did a  _ good  _ thing. I saved the Republic from being run by a Sith Lord. I halted the war in its tracks. I did the  _ right _ thing. Perhaps it wasn’t the Jedi way, perhaps my methods  _ were  _ questionable--”

(“You murdered Jedi. Killed a senator and his family.” Cody had muttered. ‘ _ You lied to me, made me lie to them. _ ’ He didn’t say.)

“But the ends justified the means. I didn’t want to be a hero, or famous, or even infamous. I just wanted to do the right thing, to have you  _ know _ that I did it, and what did you do?”

(‘ _ The right thing. _ ` Ahsoka thought.)

“You chose to  _ forsake _ me. You chose to throw me to the side, cast me further into the darkness I had only barely touched, and leave me to  _ rot _ , as if I were some murderous fiend, as if what I did didn’t have a purpose.”

Obi-Wan’s voice had begun to rise, cocky aloofness quickly morphing into a bitter rage, and Anakin remembered shrinking back, most of the others following his movement. He could sense the Council’s unease, and he knew they were doing the same.

“I did what I did to protect the Republic, to protect everything I had been taught to stand for my whole life, and you painted me as the villain in this tale. I  _ killed _ the Sith Lord, I  _ killed _ the puppeteer, I saved  _ thousands _ of lives, and yet  _ I _ am the villain? Well, if that’s how this story goes, then  _ fine _ . You want me to be the villain? I will  _ show _ you just how much of a villain I can be.”

Anakin had begun to feel like he was going to be sick, and during that Council meeting he didn’t feel much better. He wanted to beg Master Yoda to turn it off, that was enough, but he didn’t. There was so little left to watch, anyways.

“I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, no longer a Jedi, and not a Sith Lord. I will not rest until I have destroyed everyone who dared to turn their backs on me. And there will be  _ no  _ mercy.”

The recording stopped as soon as the broadcast had been cut, and Anakin finally looked up at his fellow Council members. Some looked dazed, others horrified, and some looked just plain  _ heartbroken _ . Anakin couldn’t blame them. He himself had felt dazed after watching the feed, the entire committee call disbanding for a moment as they all drank in what had just occurred. Anakin had stumbled back onto his couch, feeling as though he was moving through ice water. He couldn’t even try to imagine what was happening with the others.

(Padmé had also backed onto her couch, Rex taking a seat beside her, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder wearily. Ahsoka had pressed a hand to her now upset stomach, slowly sitting down on her bed as her thoughts whirled. Cody leaned forward, gripping the holoprojector’s console in an effort to steady himself. Quinlan and Hondo exchanged a glance, drank one final drink together, and went to where Quinlan was staying so they could join in on the meeting, much too sober much too fast.)

“...Warped by the dark side, Kenobi has become,” Yoda began “Dangerous before, he was. Even worse, he will be.”

“The committee is already working to pinpoint Kenobi’s location. We have a few leads, we’re going to see where they take us.” Anakin said, and Yoda looked at him, tired, sad, but in the calm way that Jedi tended to be when a situation like this arose.

“When you encounter Kenobi, be strong you must. Allow Kenobi to threaten the Republic, we cannot.”

“Master?” Anakin asked, he had an icy feeling in his stomach “What do you mean?”

“I believe that Master Yoda is trying to imply that, when you encounter Kenobi, you may try to reason with him. Don’t fall for his tricks. And, if you two battle…” Master Windu trailed off for a moment, before heaving a sigh and finishing with “Do whatever it takes to ensure that Kenobi is not a threat to the galaxy.”

Anakin couldn’t believe what he just heard. Was the Council saying what he thought they were saying? Was it really an option they were entertaining? 

Judging by the looks on the others faces, it seemed like it was.

“You want me to kill him.” Anakin said softly, and Mace looked so apologetic, Anakin didn’t even have it in him to be  _ too _ angry or outraged, but those were certainly feelings that had begun to surface.

“Only as a last resort,” Windu said “I think we all agree we’ve had enough death in the past eight years alone to last a lifetime. Try to reason with him, but if he can’t be reasoned with,  _ do what you must _ .”

Anakin didn’t say anything, but he nodded. He understood, he did. It was a sentiment the Jedi had come to understand much too well during the Clone Wars, something that they all had trouble unlearning, among other things.

Anakin’s mind drifted to Luke and Leia, to Padmé and Ahsoka, Rex and Cody, so many others that Obi-Wan had undoubtedly now painted a target onto. Even if he couldn’t take down the whole Republic or Jedi Order alone, Anakin knew Obi-Wan would take down as many as he could before he was caught. One man like Obi-Wan could do so much  _ damage _ , there really was little choice.

When it came down to it, Anakin would do what he must to protect as many people as possible.

 

~#~

_ Several Years Prior _

“Ahsoka?” Obi-Wan’s crisp accent cut through the humming silence of temple “What are you doing up at this hour?”

“Master Kenobi,” Ahsoka whirled around, startled by the Jedi Master’s sudden appearance “I, uh, couldn’t sleep, so I figured I go for a walk. Blow off some steam, you know?”

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding, and walked up beside her with his hands clasped behind his back. 

“Would you mind if I joined you?” He asked, and Ahsoka smiled.

“Of course, Master. I’m guessing you couldn’t sleep either?”

“I’m afraid not,” Obi-Wan started as they began walking “I’ve been thinking a bit too much as of late. My mind has been a bit…  _ scattered _ .”

“I know how you feel. I’ve been thinking a lot, too.”

“About?”

“Stuff,” Ahsoka said, shrugging slightly. Kenobi looked at her in a way that said ‘I’m going to need more than that, please’, and Ahsoka sighed “It’s about this war, Master, and what’s going to happen after it.”

Obi-Wan hummed slightly, nodding again. The two ended up walking into one of the gardens, one of the ones that had several bioluminescent plants that were planted there specifically for the Jedi who were either nocturnal, or the ones like the two of them, who simply couldn’t sleep and needed to find a place to clear their heads.

“I’ve been thinking of that, too,” Obi-Wan confessed “I’ve come to start worrying about how the Order will be perceived once it’s all over, as well as what will happen to the troops.”

“Yeah, I’ve been worried about that, too, but…” Ahsoka trailed off, looking around at the foliage “There’s also… Something else.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. See, I remember, back when I was a youngling, there wasn’t a war. For most of my life, and a lot of others, there was no war. We can remember a time where the war didn’t touch the Order, but at the same time, I… I find myself thinking less like a Jedi, and more like a commander, or even a general.”

“I would hope so,” Obi-Wan said, looking at her “We are in the midst of a war, and you  _ are _ a commander.”

“Well, yeah, but here’s the thing: some of the younger padawans are thinking this way, too. And almost every Knight and Master I’ve met are that way, also. I  _ know _ it’s because we’re in a war, but we’ve all been in this mindset for almost three years now, Master. Some days, it’s almost easier to think of Anakin more as a general than a teacher. It’s easier to see myself as a commander than a Jedi. It’s… kind of bad, you know?”

“I see what you’re saying. You’re worried that the Jedi won’t be able to return to normality?”

“Yeah! I mean, how could we? After everything is over with, after we’ve won, we’ll still need to deal with the aftermath. And even once we’re done with that, the people of the galaxy may only ever see us as fighters for the Republic! We’d lose what little trust we have with the people, wouldn’t we? I mean, after everything that’s happened, that  _ is  _ happening, how could any of this go back to the way it was before? How could we ever go back to being normal?”

A bit too late, Ahsoka realized she was rambling, a sheepishly looked down at the path in front of them, apologizing. Obi-Wan only chuckled, and she could hear the smile on his face as he spoke. 

“I understand, Ahsoka. We Jedi have really shot ourselves in the foot with this, but do you want to know something? This isn’t the first time.”

“What do you mean?” Ahsoka asked, looking up at him with wide and curious eyes. He only smiled softly as he continued.

“There have been many times when, if the Jedi had interfered, they would’ve been condemned, only to still be forsaken by the people when they  _ do  _ do something. The life of a Jedi is not one easily walked, no matter who, or when, you are.”

Ahsoka nodded, somewhat understanding what the master was saying.  _ This was not the first time. We came back from it once, we can do it again. _

“Well, that was a nice walk. I believe I’m going to attempt to sleep once more. I suggest you do the same.” Obi-Wan said, walking away from the Togruta padawan. Ahsoka smiled, bowed, and left the gardens to return to her room. She slept with ease through the rest of the night.

(In a Jedi Master’s dreams, however, peace was nowhere to be found.)

 

~#~

_ Present Day _

“Do you think he’ll go after the twins?” Rex asked, and Padmé had to pause her handwashing just to consider an answer to that question.

Despite the fact that the two children had grown up in the temple ever since they could crawl, Padmé’s connection to her children was as strong as if she had been the one to take care of them. She didn’t visit, the Jedi didn’t allow it, and even Anakin was limited in his visiting time, but Ahsoka could visit as she please, and Rex often volunteered to help take care of them when it was a particularly hectic day at the temple. She got near-constant updates, and her children were always well-taken care of. 

By the time Kenobi was captured, Padmé was more or less at full term, any day being the one where she would welcome her and Anakin’s children into the world. It wasn’t something she could hide anymore, not from her fellow committee members, not from the Senate, and not from the Jedi Council. The scandal would’ve been a lot bigger, the consequences much worse, had it not been for the Kenobi situation happening almost at the same time. 

This, of course, meant Kenobi  _ knew _ about the twins, and if he was as unstable as the Senate and Council feared… 

“I don’t know,” Padmé said softly “I would hope that he’s still enough of his old self to not stoop to that level, but after everything he said, after five years of stewing in hate and darkness, who  _ knows _ what he’s capable of.”

Rex grunted softly in agreement, moving from the doorframe of the bathroom back to the couch, where he sat back, closed his eyes, and sighed heavily. 

“ _ Hells _ , this is all so… kriffed up,” Rex said, opening his eyes as Padmé walked back and sat beside him “After the first time around, you’d think we’d be better at figuring out where Kenobi’s hiding.”

“Well, the first time around, he had help. It wasn’t until after that help decided to help  _ us  _ that we were even in the right  _ sector _ .” Padmé said, and Rex groaned in frustration. 

It was nice, seeing him relaxed enough that he expressed his displeasure with everything going on. Before, he was so uncomfortable around anyone that wasn’t a clone, he only really snarked with Skywalker, and even then, he barely listed his grievances. Now, he had no problem letting someone know how much he hated an idea, or a situation, or really anything. He was less like a soldier, more like a civilian, even if there were times when he acted  _ very _ much like his wartime self. 

“Don’t worry, Rex,” Padmé said, patting his arm reassuringly “I’m sure everything’s going to work out. And even if he does go after Luke and Leia, I think you, Ahsoka, and their other caretakers will do a good job of defending them.”

“Thank you, Senator Amidala,” Rex said, cracking a smile “I really apprecia--”

He was cut off by their communicators both blinking at the same time, messages from the committee line. They glanced at each other, then both got up, took out their communicators, and joined into the call.

“Vos,” Anakin said as they all connected “What have you got?”

“My associate and I--” Quinlan said, and Padmé swore she heard someone say ‘That’s me!’ in the background, but she ignored it “Think we’ve managed to pin down Kenobi’s newest location. Apparently, there were a few smuggler ships that made it through Mandalore customs without their knowing. According to one of the smugglers that got taken in, a man that matched Kenobi’s description had boarded one of the ships once he learned where they were headed.”

“Why would Obi-Wan go to Mandalo--” Padmé started, but was interrupted by Anakin and Ahsoka almost instantly.

“Maul.”

Padmé looked taken aback for a moment, but regained herself fairly quickly. 

“Right, Maul. What do you think he wants with Maul?” Padmé asked, and Anakin sighed.

“If what happened with Dooku is anything to go by, he probably wants to kill him.” He said, crossing his arms “Not surprising, after what happened to Satine.”

Padmé cringed at the name, at the memory of the report that had been made, at the memory of how Obi-Wan seemed to have reacted to her death. He hadn’t sought vengeance before, his duty to the Jedi, to the  _ Republic _ , too important. He still felt a commitment to the Light then, or at least enough of one to stay with the Jedi.

‘ _Or maybe,_ ’ Padmé thought wryly ‘ _He only came back so he could enact his plan._ ’

“Wait a second…” Padmé muttered, and the entire call’s attention shifted to her as she slowly brought a hand to her chin in thought “What if that’s not it?”

“What’re you thinking, Padmé?” Anakin asked, and there was a slight sting in Padmé’s heart (and, by the brief look on his face, Anakin’s as well) at the use of her first name.

“Obi-Wan began killing only days after he returned from Mandalore. He  _ knew _ who the Chancellor really was at that point. If he had known before, why not tell the Council?”

“What’re you saying, senator?” Rex asked “That Maul told Kenobi who the Chancellor was?”

“I’m saying it’s a possibility.  Since we haven’t been able to get Maul off of Mandalore without potentially starting another war, Maul’s still there, doing what he does. It’s not too far-fetched to think that Kenobi might be going to Mandalore to receive training from Maul, now that they’re the only two living dark-side users--”

“But they’re enemies. They hate each other, why work with each other?” Ahsoka asked, and Anakin made a thoughtful sound.

“Negative emotions make the dark side stronger. Or maybe Maul did something to Obi-Wan on Mandalore, or--”

“Or, he’s going there to take revenge on the man who killed the woman he loved, and tie up loose ends,” Cody interrupted, sounding impatient “Listen, it doesn’t matter why he’s going to Mandalore, or why he’s after Maul, or anything. The point is that we know where he is, and, hopefully, he doesn’t know we’ve got the scent yet. We need to mobilize  _ now _ if we’re going to get him before he tries to run again, or worse,  _ kills _ again.”

“Oh, so this time you actually  _ want  _ to catch Kenobi quickly?” Quinlan asked, bitter, and as Cody opened his mouth to start arguing, Anakin cleared his throat. 

“Cody’s right. We need to get moving. Those of us on Coruscant will rendezvous at the Senate’s main landing pad, and we’ll all meet up together near Mandalore, preferably as close as we can get without their scanners picking us up. That sound good to everyone.”

Cody and Quinlan glared at each other, but nodded. Ahsoka, Rex, and Padmé all followed suit, and Anakin nodded in affirmation. 

“All right. Oh, and Vos? See if your associate wants to come along. Something tells me we’re gonna need him for all this.” 

“Gotcha. Just a fair warning, he says he knows you, and that you might get angry when you see him, but that you’ll need to keep in mind that we need him.”

Anakin raised an eyebrow, but shook his head, sighing.

“Whatever you say. Let’s get going, we’ve wasted enough time as-is. Skywalker out.”

As soon as Anakin disconnected, the rest of them followed suit, leaving Rex and Padmé alone in her apartment once more. They looked at each other, and Rex offered her a tired smile.

“No rest for the weary, senator. Grab what you need, I’ll meet you at the landing pad.” Rex said, grabbing his helmet from where he placed it on the side table next to the couch. He placed it on his head, and left Padmé without another word.

Padmé took a deep breath, let it out, and began to scan her wardrobe for what she would need for the mission ahead. Something told her that she wasn’t going to be back to Coruscant for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's a timeline? idk her. 
> 
> okay but no seriously, so Satine died in 19 BBY, the same year that the clone wars were meant to end. Maul on Mandalore was smth i wanted for this, so I had to do that event, BUT several clones that were alive in earlier chapters are meant to be dead at this point, so, while all the Past Stuff DID still go down in 19 BBY (which. i guess it would't be BBY bc the battle of Yavin's never gonna happen), many dead characters just. Aren't. My AU My Rules.
> 
> as always, kudos and comments appreciated!
> 
> star wars tumblr: clonesdeservebetter.tumblr.com


	5. Red and Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which a friend asks questions at a bad time, an old relic is uncovered, and Obi-Wan "borrows" something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so sorry
> 
> also in this house we ignore canon and substitute our own to match the aesthetic we're going for

_ Several Years Ago _

 

“Hey Obi-Wan, can I ask you a question?”

Obi-Wan started, turning away from his desk with a surprised expression, which he managed to pull into a somewhat convincing smile. Quinlan Vos. Whenever he arrived, it was either late or early, and  _ always  _ a bad time.

“Of course,” Obi-Wan said, fully turning his body to face the visitor, leaning back against the desk “What do you need?”

“Eh, nothing really. I’ve just… Are you okay?”

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise. Of all the questions to be asked, that one… Well, it wasn’t unexpected, but it certainly wasn’t the one he was expecting to be asked  _ first _ .

“I’m alright. Why do you ask?” Obi-Wan asked, furrowing his brow and crossing his arms. 

“I dunno, it’s just that, well,” Quinlan sighed, shrugging and crossing his own arms as he leaned back against the wall beside the door “There’s something weird going on. Something feels  _ off _ .”

“Well, there are murders being committed, Quinlan. I think that’s fairly  _ off _ .”

“I know, I know, Aayla and Unduli said the same thing, but there’s something  _ more _ . I only feel it when I’m around certain people. The Chancellor, Windu, Skywalker, and--”

“And me,” Obi-Wan finished quietly, checking to ensure his mental shields were up and  _ firmly  _ so “Which is why you wanted to make sure I was okay.”

Quinlan nodded. “I’m not sure how or why this feeling pops up, but I know it  _ isn’t _ good news. Last time I noticed the feeling around someone, they were killed. That was  _ last week _ .”

“You think I’m to be targeted next?”

“I don’t know, but I  _ do _ think the three of you are going to end up crossing paths with the killer. Be careful, okay?”

Obi-Wan smiled, un-crossing his arms and once more using them to lean back against the desk. The contents scattered across it didn’t escape Quinlan’s sight this time, it seemed, because the Kiffar raised an eyebrow.

“Is that your lightsaber?” He asked, and Obi-Wan mentally cursed out the observant Knight.

“Yes,” Obi-Wan said aloud, keeping his anxiety locked behind his shielding “It’s been acting strange ever since the killings began.”

“Strange how?”

“Well, it won’t turn on half the time, for starters,” Obi-Wan began “And when it does, it gives off a  _ strange  _ energy. I’m hoping to find the source before I have to use it again.”

“Huh,” Quinlan said quietly “That’s weird. You talked to any of the other masters about it yet?”

“No, they’ve all been too busy attempting to apprehend the killer to deal with such small things. I’ll consult them if I can’t figure out the problem myself.”

“You think it could’ve been tampered with?” Quinlan asked, standing up straight and moving his head in an effort to get a better look at the disassembled weapon. Obi-Wan had to resist the urge to try and move to block the Knight’s view. 

“I’m not sure. Nobody’s touched it but me, to my recent knowledge. If I find anything, I  _ will _ let you know, Quinlan.”

“If you want, I could--”

“ _ Quinlan _ ,” Obi-Wan interrupted, his voice firm but soft as he turned to face the desk once more “I appreciate the concern, really, but I’m  _ fine _ . If I need your help with my lightsaber, I’ll call you, alright? For now, I’d like to be alone and try to fix my weapon before I’m unable to defend myself from the murderer stalking around the temple.”

He could sense Quinlan’s surprise at Obi-Wan’s reaction, but the Kiffar didn’t press further. He only sighed. Obi-Wan heard the door to his room open, footsteps, then a pause.

“Be careful, Kenobi. May the Force be with you.”

“Thank you, Quinlan. May the Force be with you, as well.”

The door shut with an audible click, and Obi-Wan turned, using the Force to press the lock button before looking down at the disassembled weapon with a scowl.

“Of  _ course _ . You just  _ had _ to make this more difficult for me, didn’t you?”

The kyber crystal on the desktop didn’t reply to Obi-Wan, but the distorted thrumming of the crystal in the Force was enough of an answer. As were the webs of red that were growing from the bottom of the crystal, encroaching onto the bright blue. 

This was going to be a problem.

~#~

_ Present Day _

 

Anakin didn’t take long to pack. 

He never had taken long to pack, ever since he was taken from Tatooine all those years ago. Back then, it was simply because he didn’t have much  _ to _ pack. As a Jedi, he still didn’t have much, and when the war broke out, there was even  _ less _ he was able to pack when he went long distances.

And now, as a Jedi Master? His room was still his, a workdesk cluttered with scraps and droid parts, posters from various things, a plant from Naboo (an old reminder, unbecoming for a Jedi, but an indulgence he couldn’t bear to part with), but on the whole, it was much more barren than it used to be. Some of the Jedi called it a sign of maturity. Others called it breaking ties with the past. The latter were a lot closer to the truth than Anakin cared to admit, as he had cleaned his room up after they captured Obi-Wan the first time, attempting to get rid of anything that tied him to his past as the older man’s former padawan.

He hadn’t been  _ ashamed _ , not really, but a betrayal like  _ that _ , well, it  _ burned _ . Looking at anything that reminded Anakin of his former Master burned just as bad, and Anakin wanted it to  _ stop _ .

‘ _ Well, _ ’ Anakin thought, stealing a glance at a simple wooden box that had the Jedi Order’s insignia carved into the side ‘ _ Not everything. Never been good at that. _ ’

He was finished packing, and he wasn’t due at the rendezvous point for at least an hour, and so after stealing another glance at the box, Anakin stood up from his bed, walking to the shelf and slowly, carefully, brought the box down. The lid was covered in nearly five years worth of dust, which anakin lightly wiped away with the sleeve of his robe to reveal three Aurebesh letters, initials, carved into the wood.  _ Osk _ ,  _ Wesk _ , and  _ Krill _ .  

_ Obi-Wan Kenobi _ . 

He placed the box onto his bed, looming over it, simply staring at the brown wood for a moment before gingerly opening it to reveal his former master’s lightsaber. He slowly picked it up, so gently that one would almost assume it could break with the slightest jolt. Even without activating it, Anakin could feel the kyber crystal’s pain from within the hilt of the cursed weapon. It cried out for its master, the one that used to cherish it, the one that was so entrenched in the light that he was often called the perfect Jedi. Anakin almost wanted to tell it that its master was gone, that he had been for a very long time, and that Anakin missed him too, but that meant he would be talking to a crystal. Yeah, they were in-tune with the Force, but it was still…  _ strange _ to say the least. 

Instead, he held the hilt away from himself, and activated it. He flinched back as the crystal screamed, the Force distorting horribly as the blade hummed to life. 

What was once a solid blue blade had become something that made Anakin’s skin crawl. Just over four fifths of the blade was the bright red of a Sith blade, save for small spots where the color seemed to weaken, becoming almost yellow. Where there  _ was _ blue, there were small veins of red creeping up into it, like an infection so terrible that you could see it move through the veins of the victim. 

Anakin frowned at the blade as he realized that the red infection had spread since he had locked it away, despite not being exposed to the energy of the Dark Side. That was troubling to say the least, but it would have to be something to bring up to the Council once Kenobi was in custody again. 

He deactivated the lightsaber, placing the hilt back into its box as he sighed. He closed it, placed it back onto the shelf, gathered his things (as well as himself), and began to make his way to the Senate’s primary landing pad. He’d be early, but at that moment, he needed to get away from the memories he had just unearthed.

(Though, deep down, he knew he would  _ never _ be able to escape them).

~#~

“I don’t  _ care _ ,” The red Zabrak snapped at the Mandalorian “If you find Kenobi, do  _ whatever  _ it takes to  _ kill _ him. Revenge is no longer an option, not anymore.”

_ “Are you afraid, brother? Because I am not.” _ The spirit just behind him asked, sounding concerned in the way that always only served to anger Maul further when he was in one of his moods. Maul shooed the Mandalorian away, before turning to face the green spectre with a scowl.

“What does it matter to you,  _ spirit _ ?” Maul growled at what was left of his brother’s lifeforce “But if you must have an answer: Kenobi can’t harm  _ you _ , and I rather enjoy living. I am, however,  _ not _ afraid.”

The spirit regarded Maul for a moment, arms crossed, before smiling.

“ _ I don’t think you need to be afraid. _ ”

“Oh? And why is  _ that _ ?” 

“ _ This is Kenobi we’re speaking of. Perhaps he has taken the path to the Dark Side, but he’s still Kenobi, and you’re still you, and you will win. _ ”

“And you know this?” Maul hissed, but his desperation leaked into his voice, shone in his eyes. His brother’s ghost shook his head. 

“ _ No. It’s what I believe. _ ”

“ _ Belief _ won’t keep Kenobi from killing me.”

“ _ No, it won’t. It didn’t stop my death, and it won’t stop yours, but it takes the edge off of it until it happens. _ ”

Maul blinked as his chest seemed to contract, his breath hitching. He stood quickly, staring at his brother in horror and fear.

“So I  _ am  _ to die by Kenobi’s hand? It’s unavoidable?”

The spirit did not reply, simply smiling apologetically at Maul. Maul’s shock and horror slowly dissolved, morphing instead into anger and outrage.

“How is it that, since your death, you have become  _ insufferable _ ? Furthermore, a  _ liar?  _ Why won’t you  _ help _ me?”

The ghost frowned, his brow furrowing and eyes glowing bright for a moment. Green mist poured off of him, slowly filling the floor of the room like a soft fog. 

“ _I understand your fear, brother. Death is not easy to face. I’m sorry._ ” The spirit walked towards Maul, placing a hand on the red Zabrak’s shoulder (which felt almost as if there were a light breeze blowing across it, something there, but not tangible) “ _If it will ease your suffering, I will give you what little strength I have left. That is all I can give, alongside the promise that, no matter how this ends, I will be with you. Always._ ”

Maul stared, astounded by the spirit’s reply.

“Brother…”

“Well, while this is certainly…  _ something _ to watch, I’m afraid I’m going to have to interrupt.”

Maul whirled around, hand on his lightsaber before he could even think as his eyes locked with Obi-Wan’s. The human smiled, a vicious thing that sent every instinct in Maul’s mind off with thoughts of his former master. 

“Why have you come, Kenobi?” Maul demanded, unclipping his lightsaber from his belt, but not activating it yet “Have you come to avenge your beloved Satine? Or your master?”

“No,” Kenobi said casually, as if this were a normal conversation between two old friends “I’m actually here to borrow something: your lightsaber.”

“ _ What _ ?” 

“Your lightsaber. See, I have one here, but it’s not really my style. Too…  _ old fashioned _ , you know? Now yours? Yours is much more to my taste, as much as I hate to admit it.”

“You really think I’d give you anything if you asked for it?  _ Especially _ that?”

“Oh  _ no _ , I’m not an idiot, Maul. I only say borrow because I’m only going to be using it until I get mine back. I’m going to take that thing off your cold, dead corpse, because  _ yes _ , you  _ idiot _ , I’m here to kill you for everything you’ve done to me.”

Obi-Wan’s false casual tone was dropped towards the end, dissolving into a growl as he unclipped what looked like  _ Dooku’s _ lightsaber from his belt, activating it in one swift motion with a scowl. Maul mirrored the action, and the green mist that filled the room seemed to hum with energy.

“ _ Take my strength, brother. I am with you. _ ” The spirit whispered, and Maul felt himself surge with power. Obi-Wan must’ve sensed it, because, if it were possible, he seemed to scowl even deeper.

“That’s  _ cheating _ .” Obi-Wan muttered, and Maul lunged, yelling in fury.

The fight seemed to go on for ages, red clashing against red, sparks and insults flying between the two men. It was obvious that Obi-Wan was a much different man than the one he had fought previously. This one was fueled by such a pure,  _ burning _ rage that it had nearly caught Maul off-guard more times than he could count, but he managed to match the human with not only his own hate, but with the help of his brother’s spirit. It encouraged him, protected him, called out to him when he was in danger. 

It was almost as if Savage was still there, fighting right beside him.

But, no one, even a ghost, was perfect, and Obi-Wan was a  _ very _ skilled fighter, so it was only a matter of time before Maul felt the sting of Dooku’s lightsaber pierce him, straight through the stomach, right where he had once hit not only Kenobi’s master once before, but Satine Kryze. 

There would be no recovering this time, Maul knew this as the lightsaber slid out of him and he crumpled to the ground, rolling onto his back as he gasped for air, his lightsaber rolling out of his limp hand. The green mist, his brother’s energy, had dissipated the second that Kenobi’s lightsaber had hit his flesh. 

He was dying, and he was alone. He was  _ afraid _ .

Obi-Wan had to have known it would’ve been a mercy to just kill him. It was obvious the human was not feeling merciful. He picked up the fallen saber, placing Dooku’s on his belt casually, as if it truly were  _ his _ to do so with. Maul watched as Obi-Wan turned on the lightsaber, childlike glee lighting up in the human’s Sith gold eyes as he observed the red blade for a moment. He swung it experimentally, before nodding to himself, deactivating the blade, placing it on his belt, and, with one final glance at Maul’s own slowly dying form, walked away.

Once Kenobi was gone, a green mist began to once more envelop the room, creating a hole around only where Maul was. The Zabrak gasped, coughing as he reached a hand up.

“Savage,” he whispered, too weak to speak louder “Brother…”

The green form of his brother’s spirit appeared, kneeling beside him, taking Maul’s hand, feeling more solid than Maul had felt him since his death.

“ _ I am here, brother, _ ” Savage murmured “ _ I am always here. _ ”

“I’m afraid,” Maul gasped out “Brother, I’m  _ scared _ \--”

“ _ I know, brother. You have been so brave for so long. Rest now, I will be with you when you wake. As will the rest of our brothers. _ ”

“Yes…” Maul said softly, his hand growing heavy in Savage’s, slowly lowering down onto his stomach, his eyelids drooping “Of course…”

And so, Darth Maul of Dathomir rejoined his brother.

~#~

“You felt that too, right?” Ahsoka asked Anakin, who was staring straight ahead as the cleared Coruscant’s atmosphere. Anakin gripped the handles of the steering mechanism so hard, the knuckles on his organic hand went white.

“Yeah,” Anakin muttered “Tell Padmé to send a message to Mandalore: No ships are to leave that planet until we find Kenobi.”

“You think they’ll listen, sir?” Rex asked, staring at Anakin’s grave expression.

“So long as she mentions Kenobi, I’m pretty sure even a  _ Hutt  _ would listen to us. Tell the others there’s been a change of plans as well: We’re going to meet up  _ on  _ Mandalore, not near it. This mission’s just become time-sensitive.”

And with that, Anakin punched in the coordinates, and the four of them were launched into hyperspace. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am especially sorry to maul and savage fans. 
> 
> star wars tumblr: clonesdeservebetter.tumblr.com


	6. Mandalore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which there is a confrontation.

As Cody stepped off his shuttle, he noticed many things at once: 

One, he was the last one to arrive. Two, the Mandalorians actually seemed to  _ not  _ hate the fact that the Republic was there to get Kenobi back. And, last but not least, three, Quinlan Vos’ contact had been Hondo  _ fucking _ Ohnaka. 

“Oh, what the  _ fuck _ ?” Cody said as soon as his eyes hit the weequay. As soon as their eyes met, Hondo’s face brightened, like an excitable puppy that just saw its owner for the first time since that morning. It was not an expression Cody (nor most of the others) shared.

“Commander Cody! My old friend’s friend,” Ohnaka exclaimed, opening his arms for a hug he didn’t get “It is good to see you! How have you been holding up?”

“Please tell me he’s a stowaway, Quinlan,” Skywalker said, his voice strained “Please tell me you did  _ not _ invite Hondo Ohnaka into our committee.”

“Sorry Anakin, I’m afraid if I said that, I’d be what most consider a liar.” Vos said, and Skywalker sighed again, heavier this time. Ohnaka clapped a hand on the Jedi Master’s back.

“Oh, do not worry my friend! Hondo Ohnaka will be offering his services free of charge for exactly two days! More than enough time to catch Kenobi, but in case its not, I get money  _ and _ fame!”

Cody wasn’t sure who he wanted to be annoyed with more: Hondo Ohnaka for being Hondo Ohnaka, or Quinlan Vos for  _ bringing _ Ohnaka along. He sighed, deciding that the annoyance could be saved for later, when they  _ weren’t _ chasing down a murderous fallen Jedi.

Skywalker must’ve been thinking the same thing, because he called everyone together to go over the situation.

“So,” Anakin said, crossing his arms “What’s going on right now is this: Kenobi killed Maul, and none of the Mandalorians that were serving him are very happy about it. And if they are, they  _ aren’t _ happy about Kenobi being on the planet. Either way, they’re  _ tolerating _ us, but they aren’t exactly willing to welcome us with open arms. We’ll have to tread lightly, it’s probably best we don’t interact with them any more than we have to.”

Cody was almost impressed with just how  _ mature _ Anakin had become in the past five years, going from the reckless, rule-throwing, and sometimes  _ annoying _ Jedi Knight to the cautious, level-headed, and conscientious Jedi Master he saw before him. 

“I thought the Republic wasn’t happy with Death Watch being here. Why bother to be careful?” Hondo asked, and the group exchanged weary looks. 

“Politics,” Padmé sighed softly “Not to mention the fact that the Republic is still wrapped up in reconstruction and restructuring. If we tried to mount an invasion to get rid of Death Watch, it wouldn’t look good for us, regardless of whether or not it was successful.”

_ ‘Five years and politics are still keeping us from doing what needs to be done,’ _ Cody thought bitterly  _ ‘At least it’s not being run by a traitorous Sith Lord anymore.’ _

Rex elbowed him, and Cody looked up to see an approaching group of three Mandalorians, one in the center with two flanking them. He recognized the middle one’s armor as Bo-Katan. She had been part of the original committee to locate Kenobi for a short while, but Mandalore needed her more, so she had left them to lead others against Maul and his Death Watch. 

When the two groups met, Bo-Katan took off her helmet and Anakin bowed to her respectfully.

“I can’t say I’m surprised that Death Watch wouldn’t be willing to meet us,” Anakin began “But I am surprised they let you be the one to do it.”

“They didn’t  _ let  _ me do anything,” Bo-Katan said “With Maul dead, most of Death Watch is in chaos. They’re trying to find a new leader and failing, and the ones that aren’t are joining me and my people, but that’s not why you’re here.”

“Yes,” Padmé said “I’m assuming you know where Kenobi’s located then?”

“Yeah,” Bo-Katan said, and there was almost a hint of remorse in her tone “Last we saw, he was headed to where Death Watch had the smuggler ships taken after they were caught. If we move quickly, we can stop him there.”

With a nod from Anakin, the group walked quickly to keep up with the three Mandalorians as they guided them to the hangar. Evidence of Kenobi’s arrival was everywhere at the entrance: a burnt hole through the door, dead Mandalorians, and a single dropped lightsaber on the ground.  _ Dooku’s _ lightsaber. Quinlan bent to touch it, and after a moment, nodded, clipping the saber to the other side of his belt. 

“He’s here. Recently, too.”

“Then let's move,” Anakin said, turning to everyone “Stay alert, Bo-Katan, could you cover the entrance in case--”

“Yeah, go.” Bo-Katan said, turning away from the group. With that, the committee and Hondo took off down the halls, running to catch up with Kenobi, twisting and turning through the short hallways until, finally--

“Kenobi!” Anakin’s voice was deep and loud in the large hangar, its sound echoing off the walls and ship. Kenobi, who had evidently not noticed them, whirled around. Then, he gave an overly-friendly smile.

“Oh dear,” Kenobi said evenly “Well, this is certainly awkward. Had I known I was having visitors, I would’ve cleaned myself up a bit more. Of course, hindsight  _ is _ 20/20--”

“Enough games, Kenobi,” Anakin growled, the glow of his now activated lightsaber washing his features in a harsh blue glow “Surrender now, and--”

“Oh Anakin, you  _ know _ I can’t do that.”

“And why not?” Ahsoka demanded, drawing her own lightsabers and activating them.

“Well, I’ve got work to do, and this really wouldn’t be a very interesting story otherwise.”

“Your work ends here, Kenobi,” Cody said, his voice firm “So does the story.”

“Oh no, my dear Cody. The story is just beginning, and since it’s only the beginning, I’m going to give you all the option to walk away now before this tragedy ends in such a way that  _ nobody _ but  _ me _ will be left to tell it to little, ah, what were their names again? Luke and Leia?”

Anakin and Padmé both tensed, flickers of fear appearing in their features. Ahsoka gripped her lightsabers harder as Rex, Cody, Quinlan, and even Hondo drew their own weapons. Kenobi laughed, and while the sound had once been gentle, almost soothing to hear, it seemed his time in the dark warped it just as much as it had the rest of him. Cody’s stomach dropped as a lump formed in his throat, which he promptly swallowed down. Obi-Wan locked eyes with the clone commander, a faux-concerned frown appearing on his face.

“Oh, Cody. You don’t look well. Has the Republic been working you too hard? If you need a break, I’d be more than willing to forgive you, so long as you promised not to attempt anything. Ah, but knowing your track record, it wouldn’t last long, now would it?”

Cody gritted his teeth. Obi-Wan was trying to get under their skin, like he did the last time. Get them angry, sloppy, easier to beat. They had to stay strong. They couldn’t let him escape, not this time, not  _ again _ . 

“Come on, Kenobi, my ex-friend,” Hondo said, somehow managing to sound calm and casual despite the circumstances “Just lay down the lightsabers, come quietly, and we can chat again. Perhaps even have a drink or two!”

_ Stars _ , Cody wanted to smack him. 

“As  _ tempting _ as that is Hondo, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. Though, I do wonder why you decided to get involved  _ this _ time around. Perhaps you could enlighten me?”

“Enough stalling, Obi-Wan,” Padmé said, stepping forward “Surrender now, or face the consequences.”

“Senator, I do believe you’re the first of the group to actually say my name! Kudos to you for being able to stomach it.”

Amidala glared, and Cody decided to  _ not _ see how Anakin stepped in front of her ever so slightly. Kenobi, however, made a rather big show out of rolling his eyes giving Anakin a look that really could only be described as a “disappointed mom” look. 

“You’ve had  _ five years _ , and yet you  _ still _ cannot hide how you feel about her. One would think that, after the scandal broke, you’d  _ learn _ for once,” Kenobi’s grin grew unsettlingly as he drew a new lightsaber (one he had taken from Maul, Cody realized) “But I suppose, as you’ve said yourself, you  _ are _ a rather slow learner when it comes to things such as this.”

“Last chance, Kenobi,” Quinlan said, the entire group with weapons at the ready and poised to strike “Come with us, or we’ll  _ make you _ .” 

“I’m afraid that’s not an option, Quinlan,” Kenobi said, his grin fading and tone darkening as he activated the lightsaber, the harsh red light pulling at the shadows of the fallen Jedi’s face “I’ve got things to do first.”

“Not gonna happen!” Ahsoka growled, and, despite the shout of protest from Anakin, she rushed the fallen Jedi in a blue of orange, blue, green, and yellow.

 

~#~

 

Anakin watched as his former padawan and former master began to duel, stunned for a moment at Ahsoka’s brashness, before promptly snapping out of it and  _ also _ moving in, Quinlan not far behind. 

Anakin and Ahsoka had both been practically raised by this man, and Quinlan was one of his closest friends. They knew how he fought. Or at least, they  _ thought _ they did. They had all known him for his mastery of Soresu, his ability to switch form on a dime should he need to, not his  _ brutality _ , not his  _ anger _ or  _ dirty tricks _ . He hadn’t even been like that the last time they had fought, and yet, at that moment, for the first time since the Clone Wars, Anakin felt like he was  _ truly _ fighting against a dark-side Force user. It left him unbalanced, his brain still (somehow, after everything and all that time) unable to see that  _ this _ was what Kenobi was now, not his master, his father, his brother.

Kenobi had  _ fallen _ , and rather hard, too. 

Red clashed against blue and green, keeping up with their flurry of attacks with almost practiced ease, and when three blades crashed against his crimson one all at once in an effort to push him back, he only smiled. 

It felt like a punch to the gut when the Force hit him, and he barely managed to keep his footing, managing to only slide back a few inches instead of being flung like a ragdoll across the room as the others had. Before Anakin could process that, though, the red blade came crashing down against his blue one without warning, causing him to stumble and hit the ground.

“I’ve been waiting for this, you know,” Kenobi said, and though he wanted to believe that Kenobi was purposefully giving him a moment to regain himself, he couldn’t help but feel like he was prey, and Kenobi was simply playing with his food “I’ve been waiting for  _ five years _ . Do you know what it was like? To know that the people I trusted more than anything hunted me down like  _ dogs _ , branded me a  _ criminal _ , and threw me into that  _ hole _ to  _ rot _ ? After what I  _ did _ to  _ save them _ ?”

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin said, and he hated the way the name caught in his throat “Listen to me. I know you did what you did to protect us, to help the Republic, but you  _ murdered  _ good people,  _ innocent _ people, in the process. We couldn’t excuse that. But please, listen to me, I… I’m--”

“You  _ what _ ? You’re  _ sorry _ ? I have spent five years in  _ darkness _ and  _ nothingness _ , five years with no one, with  _ nothing _ but my own thoughts, my own anger to keep me company. I spent five years imprisoned, all because of  _ you _ , because I took steps do I could do  _ the right thing _ ,” Obi-Wan sounded almost hysterical as he inched closer, and Anakin took a step back on instinct “And now, you think that two little words can change all that, undo  _ five years _ worth of seething rage and betrayal. You think I will say ‘oh Anakin, my dear brother, I have seen the error of my ways! Take me away, take me  _ away _ so that I may  _ repent _ !’ Hah! I’m not sure if you’ve noticed,  _ Master Skywalker _ , but I am rather far beyond  _ repentance _ , and we are even  _ further _ beyond  _ false apologies _ .”

“Obi-Wan Kenobi!”

Anakin and Obi-Wan’s attention were both drawn to the two clone troopers that had finally managed to get back to their feet, their blasters in hand and poised to shoot. It had been Rex who had called the name, and the two clones began to move in slowly.

“Surrender now! You will  _ not _ be given another warning,” Cody growled “And unlike the last time,  _ Obi _ , I  _ won’t  _ miss.”

Obi-Wan glowered, a snarl forming slightly as his molten gold eyes shifted to a brighter, inflamed yellow in anger. Anakin could feel the harsh  _ cold _ of the Force around Obi-Wan, and for a moment, he thought his former master would just make a run for it, but one look from Kenobi told him something bad was about to happen.

“I’m afraid not, commander. I said I have work to do, and I need to be off soon. We  _ will  _ meet again, but I can’t have you following me,” Obi-Wan raised the lightsaber in his hand and  _ slashed down _ , and Anakin couldn’t help the shout of pain as the lightsaber blade carved a deep gash in his abdomen, the smell of sizzling flesh filling his nostrils. Distantly, he could hear blaster-fire and shouting, the voices of Bo-Katan and the others reaching Anakin, but not their words.

_ Stars, it hurt to breathe. _

He could hear the sounds of a ship taking off as Ahsoka appeared into his left side view, worry filling her features as she laid a hand across where he felt the wound. He winced back, and Quinlan was on the other side of him in an instant. He could finally understand what they were saying, but he felt like he was underwater. 

_ Was he dying? Was this what death felt like? _

“I need to put him under,” he heard Quinlan say as the Kiffar placed a hand on Anakin’s forehead “Get him into a healing trance until we can get him into bacta.”

Ahsoka nodded, and he felt her take his hand gingerly. He felt her project as much calm and healing as she could into him, her presence in the Force familiar and, unsurprisingly,  _ missed _ .

“Take it easy, Skyguy,” Ahsoka said softly “We’ll take it from here.”

“He got away,” Anakin felt himself say softly “Didn’t he?”

“We’ll find him, Ani,” He heard Padmé say as she appeared beside Ahsoka, lightly placing a hand on his shoulder “But you need to take it easy first, okay?”

Anakin felt himself nod, and then, with some coaxing from Ahsoka and Quinlan, allowed the Force to pull him under into an inky, dreamless sleep.

 

~#~

 

The first thing Cody did as they left Mandalore’s atmosphere was punch the wall of the ship’s bunks. The second thing he did was swear loudly, because  _ dammit _ , he was fairly sure he just broke something. 

“Cody,” He heard Rex hiss “What the hell are you doing? What’s gotten into you?”

“He got away,” Cody growled, slamming the side of his fist into the wall again as he leaned his forehead against the cool metal “ _ Again _ .” 

Cody heard Rex sigh softly, and he felt his brother place a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. Cody let out a harsh breath that he wasn’t sure was meant to be a laugh or an angry huff.

“We  _ have _ to get him this time, Rex,” Cody said “We can’t let it go on as long as it did last time, we  _ can’t _ \--”

“I know,  _ vod _ ,” Rex replied, cutting Cody off “But you know how it is. Skywalker’s injured, that’s priority right now.”

“I know,” Cody sighed again, more defeated this time “I just… I really just want to  _ catch him _ . If I can help with that this time around, maybe...”

Rex seemed to understand, and slowly, carefully, force Cody to turn around and face him. Rex slid a hand back behind Cody’s head and pressed their foreheads together. Cody closed his eyes as Rex did, and Rex began to talk.

“ _ Gar shuk meh kyrayc, vod, _ ” Rex muttered quietly “You’re working just as hard as we are. We all know that.”

“But--”

“It won’t completely make up for what happened last time, but it’s enough for us now, Cody. You’re my brother, and I love you. Nothing will change that. Now get some rest, we’ll talk more once we get to Coruscant and Skywalker’s stable, alright?”

Cody felt like a stupid little cadet, but he found comfort in his brother’s words, and found himself nodding as they parted. 

“Alright,” Cody said, though his tone was quiet, almost lost “Alright. You need to rest, too, though. Remember that.”

“How could I forget with you always reminding me? They should’ve called  _ you _ Echo.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“Or maybe ‘Hen’.”

“I  _ will  _ stun you, Rex.”

“Love you, too,  _ vod _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> he's fiiiine, dw about it
> 
> star wars tumblr: clonesdeservebetter.tumblr.com


	7. Of Love and Loss Thereof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which love has bloomed, died, and was unable to prevent the inevitable (for once).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two Chapter in Two Days?? yeah

“Ahsoka,” Rex said quietly, lifting his head from its place in his hands “You’re like a little sister to me, and I love you, but _please_ stop pacing. You’re gonna drive me up the wall.”

Ahsoka paused mid-stride, unaware that she has been pacing so quickly. She glanced at Rex, then Cody, then Padmé, then finally at the two five-year-olds next to their mother, both of whom were squirming and twiddling their thumbs in worry. Luke had even resorted to sitting on his hands to keep them from constantly adjusting his robes.

They both knew who their parents were. It wasn’t a secret, not when their last names were “Amidala-Skywalker”, not when Ahsoka and Rex told them stories anytime they visited the twins, not when _everyone_ talked about it. Padmé and Anakin rarely got the chance to see the kids themselves, what with the issues of attachment (though the rules had been relaxed slightly, they were certainly still in place), but with the looming threat of Kenobi on the loose…

No one could be too careful.

“Is he gonna be okay, mom?” Luke asked quietly, bright blue eyes shining as he looked up at Padmé. She gave him a smile, but it was strained, and Ahsoka knew that, while her mental barriers were strong, the twins could feel her worry.

“We don’t know yet, but knowing your father, and knowing how good the temple healers are, I’m sure he’ll be alright, Luke.”

“Luckily,” A soft, accented voice said from the doorway “You’re correct.”

Ahsoka turned and smiled as soon as she saw Barriss, a small sigh of relief washing through her. Barriss offered Ahsoka a slight smile and nod in return, but the other knight’s eyes held something in them that told Ahsoka that she would need to speak with Barriss in private once she gave the rundown of Anakin’s condition. 

“Master Skywalker’s injury, luckily, was an easy fix. The lightsaber went deep enough to leave a rather nasty scar, and it scraped a bit closer to his lungs and stomach than I’m comfortable with, but after some help from Master Unduli and some time in a bacta tank, he should be ready for duty soon.”

“How soon is soon?” Cody asked, and Barriss gave him a very tired look.

“Soon, Commander. You can’t rush healing, _especially_ when it comes to a lightsaber wound,” Then, after a sigh, she continued apologetically “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound harsh. I understand why you’re worried, given what the duty he’s returning to _is_ , but if he goes out there before he’s fully healed, he _won’t_ come back, I can guarantee it.”

There was a heavy silence in the room as Padmé hugged her two children slightly closer, Cody and Rex exchanging looks as Ahsoka’s brow furrowed in worry. Barriss looked extremely apologetic, and opened her mouth to speak again before apparently thinking better of it. The two Jedi Knights locked eyes for a moment, and an understanding passed between them again.

“Padmé, why don’t you see if you can locate one of the creche-masters and ask for permission to take Luke and Leia out for something sweet. I recommend Master Aruni, she’s a softie.”

Padmé blinked, confused for a moment, before her eyes flickered between Ahsoka and Barriss, and she nodded in understanding. She stood up, Luke and Leia following her out of the room, hand in hand in hand. Rex and Cody must’ve also gotten the message, because they each nodded a farewell and left the small room.

Barriss slid herself in completely, sealing the door behind her. All the tension in her shoulders seemed to visibly melt as soon as the door’s lock made a soft _click_ , and, for the first time in a while, Ahsoka was alone with Barriss.

The Togruta made the first move, pulling Barriss into a tight hug, Barriss easily mirroring the action.

“I missed you,” Ahsoka said quietly “I missed you _a lot_.”

“Me too,” Barriss replied softly, pressing a chaste kiss to Ahsoka’s cheek “It’s been far too long.”

“Yeah. You looked like you wanted to talk first, though. What’s wrong?”

“I’m just… worried.”

“About Anakin?”

“Yes, I suppose. But also about you and Rex and Cody and…” Barriss sighed, pulling away from Ahsoka and turning around, wrapping her arms around herself “I love you, Ahsoka, and everyone here is like family to me.They weren’t perfect, not by any means, but… When it came down to it, they _tried_ . In my darkest moments, even when I told you what I had been planning, you didn’t… You _talked_ me through it. You helped lead me through that and back to the light.”

“Barriss?” Ahsoka questioned “What are you trying to say?”

“I… Master Kenobi was one of the people who helped me after you got me to open up about it. He got me to talk. He told me how _important_ it was to try and help someone before just… _condemning_ them.”

Ahsoka watched as Barriss turned around, and for a moment she was stunned. Of _course_ , Kenobi had helped Ahsoka help Barriss when she had first brought up her opinions, it only stood to reason that Barriss had gone straight to the source as well. The fact that Kenobi, who had fallen hard and _already_ tried to kill her and her friends, who had put Anakin in a bacta tank, had helped someone else turn away from the same path… 

“You think there’s still good in him,” Ahsoka whispered “After all this time.”

“It wasn’t until _after_ the murders started that I brought up my thoughts to you and Kenobi, Ahsoka. If he was _truly_ evil, wouldn’t he have helped me? Guided me onto his path alongside him? We all know what he did was wrong, even if it was for the right reasons, but think about it. He kept his… _activities_ controlled. Only struck when he needed to. He _could’ve_ killed you all on Mandalore, killed _Anakin_ in one motion, but he _didn’t_.”

“You heard what he said in his message. He wants us dead, he wants us to _suffer_.”

“You also mentioned that he said he had another goal, one he didn’t want to be impeded on,” Barriss looked almost pleading, like she was begging Ahsoka to see it her way “What if he’s doing more good, and he doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt?”

“Barriss, I want to believe Master Obi-Wan’s in there too, but--”

“Then _please_ ,” Barriss said, taking Ahsoka’s hands and staring her straight in the eyes “ _Talk to him_. Like you did me.”

Ahsoka searched her beloved’s eyes, and when she found only desperate resolve, Ahsoka sighed, clasping Barriss’ hands properly.

“Alright,” She said quietly “I’ll do what I can, Barriss, but before I can talk to him, I have to _find_ him first.”

“Any ideas where to look?” Barriss asked, and when Ahsoka smiled, she did too, and Ahsoka couldn’t help but press a kiss to the dopey look. 

“A few ideas come to mind. C’mon, first things first, we need to go ask Commander Fox for the proper clearance to conduct an investigation in the lower levels.”

“I’ll make sure Anakin is still stable and have Master Eerin watch over him while we’re gone. I’ll meet you at the taxi-pad,” Barriss said, then, with a slight giggle “Why do I get the strangest feeling that investigation isn’t the only reason we’re going down there?”

“Hey, sometimes, when you’re investigating a bar, the drinks require inspection just as much as anything. Especially when you’re out with a beautiful girl and want to see her blush from every compliment you give her.”

Barriss swatted Ahsoka’s arm playfully, and with a _click_ and a _swoosh_ , the two took off.

 

~#~

 

Rex watched his brother carefully as the commander read over the datapad in his hands for the umpteenth time. It wasn’t completely unlike Cody to get that way after a mission gone awry, especially when someone got hurt as badly as Skywalker had, but this wasn’t just _any_ mission, this wasn’t just _any_ man they were hunting. 

“Credit for your thoughts?” Rex asked, attempting to seem nonchalant about what he wanted his brother to open up about. Cody side-eyed him, and the 501st Captain realized he probably hadn’t been successful. With a sigh, the commander set down his datapad, rubbing his face down as he leaned forward in his chair.

“We _talked_ , Rex,” Cody said, and his voice was strained “He called me his dear, looked me in the eyes, offered me a place with him, and then _mocked_ me. He’s threatened to _kill_ all of us, and I can’t help but feel horrible that _I_ threatened to kill _him_.”

Rex was… not the best when it came to emotions. He had kept his own stunted and under wraps for almost the entire war, swallowing down anger and sadness alike until it threatened to overtake him in moments of weakness, and even then he kept it at bay. This made emotions… _uncomfortable_ for Rex. So, this situation, where Cody was vulnerable and in need of someone who could _help him_ with his volatile emotions, well…

Rex took a breath through his nose. He would just have to suck it up and do his best.

“I… I can’t imagine what it’s like for you, _vod_. I really can’t. You two were… you were more than just commander and general, clone and Jedi. You two broke every rule you had for each other, and I know you’d both do it again.”

“I _lied_ for him, and it nearly got me court-martialed and--”

“You were doing what you thought was best. Just like I would have, like _anyone_ would have. What matters is that you _did_ tell the truth. There are times it just… _baffles_ me that you did that for him, but I also know your connection ran deep. _Still_ runs deep.”

“I _loved_ him Rex,” Cody whispered “I _thought_ he loved _me_.”

“He did,” Rex said automatically, though he wasn’t sure why he did, since he had no _real_ way of knowing that for sure “He had to. He trusted you, cared about you, he _loved_ you _vod_ , no way around it.”

Cody looked at Rex for a good, long moment, and for a second he was convinced Cody was going to just get up and leave, but instead, he watched as Cody’s lip quivered for a moment. How was it that after five years it still hurt him that badly? Rex just didn’t understand. But, then again, things that happened all the way from _the beginning_ of the war still messed with _him_ , so it wasn’t completely farfetched. Either way, Cody pulled Rex close, and clung to him as sobs wracked his body. 

Rex held him close, and didn’t say anything. He really didn’t see the need to.

 

~#~

_Several Years Prior_

 

“Cody?”

“Mhm?”

“I love you.”

Cody lifted his head up from where he nestled it on Obi-Wan’s chest, giving the Jedi what must’ve been the sappiest, fondest look. The soft light of Coruscant’s nightlife filtered through the window of Obi-Wan’s temple apartment, illuminating the general’s features in a sort of light monochrome.

“I love you too, Obi-Wan.”

“Forever…” Obi-Wan said with a slight yawn, using a free hand to sleepily pet the back of Cody’s head as he laid it back down.

“And always.” Cody finished as they both drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

(Obi-Wan had woken up earlier than he usually did, squirming and panting, but when Cody had asked what was wrong, Obi-Wan had waved him off, citing it as Jedi stuff. Cody couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, that was where things had begun to go wrong.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gay rights!! kinda. i ship codywan i swear
> 
> star wars tumblr: clonesdeservebetter.tumblr.com


	8. The Wicked and Weary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which bad news is given, two friends bond, and a new perspective is tossed in the mix (if only for a moment).

Barriss had gone off to use the bathroom when Ahsoka encountered  _ her _ . 

She had slid in with ease next to Ahsoka, taking up the seat that Barriss had been occupying moments before. Ahsoka had turned to ask her to get up, that it was her “friend’s” seat, but the moment her eyes locked the eyes that belonged to Asajj Ventress, the words died in her mouth. 

“ _ You _ ,” Ahsoka hissed, though she wasn’t sure if it was more in surprise or anger “What do  _ you _ want?”

“To buy a drink for an old associate,” Ventress said casually, leaning back with a slow, lazy smile “Is that so wrong?”

“I’m not here to drink. I’m  _ investigating _ .”

“Of course you are,” Ventress’ smile turned sharp for a moment “You and your investigation partner certainly get along well, though, don’t you?” 

Ahsoka felt her cheeks heat up, and Ventress laughed at the Jedi Knight’s embarrassment. Ahsoka simply glared at the older woman as she ordered a drink from the bartender. 

“I won’t bother asking if it’s true then, considering most of the known galaxy with access to the holonet knows it is, but I will ask this: How quickly did he defeat you all? It must’ve been pretty embarrassing, considering he’s been out of practice for nearly five years--”

“ _ Ventress _ \--”

“I  _ do _ hope Skywalker pulls through, though. Those two  _ adorable  _ kiddies deserve to spend more time with their father.”

“Did you come here just to mock me and the others, or do you actually have something helpful to say?” Ahsoka snapped, pounding her fist on the bartop as she swung to fully face Ventress, startling the Rodian behind her into leaving their seat behind. Ventress laughed again, obviously pleased that she had gotten a rise out of Ahsoka, which only served to piss her off more.

“Oh no, mocking you is only part of the reason I’m here. I have information about your little manhunt I think you’d like to hear.”

That had Ahsoka interested. The previous time around, Ventress had been a rather reliable source, if for all the wrong reasons, and had continued to be one as they continued capturing what remained of the Separatist Forces that had been working for Palpatine. Back then, it had been for immunity for her past crimes. Now…

“What do you want for it?” Ahsoka asked cautiously, and Ventress placed a hand against her chest in mock offense.

“My  _ dear _ , you  _ really _ think I would want something in  _ return _ for this information? What if I’m simply trying to help the Republic capture a dangerous and possibly  _ deranged _ criminal?”

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow, and Ventress huffed, rolling her eyes.

“Fine. I need a favor, and unfortunately, only the Senate has the power to do what I need done.”

“Oh?” Ahsoka raised an eyebrow, confused and intrigued “What kind of favor are we talking? Because I’d need to talk to Pad-- Senator Amidala before I agree to anything happening in the Senate.”

“Just call her whatever name you usually use, sweetie. It’s less annoying for us both,” Ventress said, and, after a moment, caved in with a sigh “I need a permit to start up a nonprofit here.”

Ahsoka genuinely couldn’t hide her surprise if she had tried. Her mind was boggled, her jaw slack for a moment as she stared at Ventress in disbelief.

“ _ You _ want to start a nonprofit?” Ahsoka asked, her voice pitching up ever so slightly “Seriously?  _ You _ ? Aren’t you literally a bounty hunter?”

“Contrary to popular belief, bounty hunters don’t do  _ everything _ for money, just specific things.”

“Like kidnapping, taking hostages, theft, murder--”

“I get your  _ point _ ,  _ brat _ ,” Ventress snapped “Yes, we  _ do  _ do those things, which is exactly why I need this favor. If I don’t get it through this, it’ll never happen.”

“What exactly is this nonprofit? And why is it so important to you?”

Ventress frowned, looking down into her now empty glass with pensive look. She stayed silent for a moment before she began to speak in a quiet, soft voice,

“I came across two young twi’lek girls last night. One was twelve, the other was seven. They were begging on the street in a  _ bad  _ part of town.”

“I thought just about every part of town was bad down here,” Ahsoka interrupted, and after earning a glare from Ventress, quickly added “Sorry, please, continue.”

“They told me their names were Hiriya and Franx, and they were sisters. Their mother was sick, and their father was always working to make ends meet. Their family had  _ nothing _ .  _ They _ had nothing. The government helped, but they could only do so much. You want to know what Hiriya told me she was going to do when she turned fifteen?”

Ahsoka nodded, though the lump in her throat told her she already knew.

“She was going to become a  _ dancer _ , but not just  _ any _ dancer: An  _ after-hours _ dancer. At  _ fifteen _ . She told me it’s what all the girls do when they don’t make enough money, and that the alien girls were considered  _ exotic _ , so they made  _ a lot _ of money, especially if they started young enough.”

“That’s terrible…” Ahsoka muttered, and Ventress slammed her fist against the bartop.

“You’re damn  _ right _ it’s terrible! These girls have to flock to the streets, sad, alone, with only each other to depend on just so they can afford to  _ eat _ more than once every other day, and then, when they’re old enough,  _ sell  _ their  _ bodies _ to the  _ disgusting _ vermin that call this place a home. If they had a place to go where they could  _ eat _ ,  _ learn _ , maybe even just  _ stay _ when they have nowhere else… Then they might end up better off than anyone else down here.”

“And you want to open a place like that,” Ahsoka ventured a guess “A place they don’t have to grow up on their own.”

“No one deserves to be abandoned by a system that never cared in the first place,” Ventress said sourly, and Ahsoka got the feeling Ventress wasn’t just talking about the twi’lek sisters anymore “Just because they were raised in  _ these _ conditions  _ doesn’t _ mean they don’t deserve a chance to be  _ better _ .”

Ahsoka nodded, and as she glanced around, she made eye-contact with Barriss, who was just coming out of the bathroom. They didn’t have much time. Ahsoka held up a one with her pointer finger to the other Jedi before returning her attention to Ventress.

“I’ll talk to Padmé,” Ahsoka said “Have her get in touch with you ASAP.”

“I…  _ appreciate _ it, Tano. I do,” Ventress said, then, lowering her voice “The ship Kenobi used to escape Mandalore was sighted skirting the edges of Wild Space, but it was apparently dumped there by another smuggler’s freighter. Rumor has it Kenobi was picked up by it, but the captain apparently lost him when they landed on Nar Shaddaa. He hasn’t been seen since, but every bounty hunter and other no-name thug have their eyes peeled for him.”

Ahsoka nodded, letting out a sigh and  _ trying _ not to sound frustrated. Of  _ course _ Kenobi would go to Nar Shaddaa. It was almost impossible for anyone to do anything there without owing someone a favor or a gunfight breaking out. Even  _ with _ every scoundrel in the galaxy on the lookout for him there, there was a rather large chance he could  _ easily _ threaten his way into stealing a new ship, and by the time they’d be able to get their hands on the description of it, Kenobi would more than likely have already ditched it.

“Thank you, Ventress,” Ahsoka said “And I  _ promise _ , Padmé  _ will _ talk to you soon. You have my word.”

Ventress got up from her seat, waving dismissively as she cast her credits towards the barkeep and turning to leave without another word. Ahsoka scoffed. Typical. Pour her heart out, have someone make a promise, then leave like nothing happened. Whatever.

Barriss slid back into her seat, glancing from the crowd Ventress had disappeared into back to Ahsoka, visibly confused and concerned. 

“Was that--”

“Yeah.”

“What did she--”

“A favor for information,” Ahsoka said, getting up and paying for her and Barriss’ drinks “C’mon, let’s head back to the temple. I’ll explain on the way.”

  
  


~#~

 

“Quinlan, my friend! You look like you could use a drink.”

Quinlan let out a short laugh as he looked up from where he was sitting on the couch of his temple apartment, watching Hondo pull out a rather large flask of  _ some _ liquid from the inner pocket of his coat.

“You know, I  _ do _ have other hobbies besides drinking and partying with pirates.”

“Oh, but I bet they are not anywhere near as  _ fun _ as drinking and partying with pirates! And besides,  _ I  _ am not just any old pirate! I am… Hondo Ohnaka!”

“So I’m told,” Quinlan said with a smirk, making room for the weequay on the couch “Though, I  _ gotta _ say, for all the times I’ve heard your name, I haven’t heard too many stories about you. I mean, bits and pieces, rumors, but most of the time it’s just your name sighed in frustration or on a list of potential perpetrators.”

“Oh!” Hondo said, his tone one of mock offense as he rather ungracefully flopped onto the couch beside Quinlan “Now  _ that _ is a  _ true _ crime! 

“Is it now?”

“Yes! In fact, it is so much of one that I think I shall put together a trial, and the jury shall be made of all my crewmembers, old and new,” Hondo paused, then after a moment “Eh, perhaps only my new ones. On second thought, maybe they shouldn’t be involved at all.”

Quinlan let out a pretty hearty laugh at that, Hondo joining in on it within seconds. Eventually, it petered off and they sat there in comfortable, companionable silence. Hondo took a rather big swig from his flask before handing it off to Quinlan, who accepted it eagerly.

“So, you  _ really _ don’t know much about me, do you?” Hondo asked as he took the flask back from Quinlan, stuffing it into his inner coat pocket once more. Quinlan shrugged.

“I mean, I know you’re the guy who managed to capture Dooku, Skywalker,  _ and _ Kenobi. You also did a lot of other crazy things, I know, but the war was pretty crazy, and I was pretty busy.”

“Bah, it’s no excuse,” Hondo said, then, clutching his heart melodramatically “Oh! Has the galaxy already forgotten Hondo so  _ easily _ ? How time wounds us all!”

“Wow,” Quinlan deadpanned “Which classic you pull that one out of?”

“My life’s memoirs!”

Another shared moment of laughter and silence. Quinlan could get used to having a friend like Hondo, if he was honest, and he tended to be. They sat there for a while, chatting and swapping stories and opinions, and Quinlan, for the first time in a while, felt almost at home in the temple, though he knew the temple itself had  _ nothing _ to do with it. Then, Hondo got extremely quiet. Quinlan looked at him, arching an eyebrow, hoping for an explanation.

“You know,” Hondo said, sounding almost reflective, which rather surprised Quinlan “I used to have it pre-tty bad for Kenobi.”

“Seriously?” Quinlan asked, because while he could certainly understand  _ why _ people had the hots for Kenobi, he didn’t understand why  _ Hondo _ had had them.

“Oh yes! He was strong, handsome, charismatic, funny, and, aside from a few isolated incidents, tolerated me! That… sounds worse than I meant it, I assure you,” Hondo sighed, leaning back further onto the couch “Ah, but it was not to be! He loved his commander, you know, and who am I to stand in the way of love? Besides, he was a Jedi, and even if he had not fallen in love with Commander Cody, I highly doubt he would’ve gone for an ol’ pirate.”

“Well, maybe not,” Quinlan said slowly, taking in Hondo’s sullen expression and not enjoying it one bit “But you’re not just any old pirate, are you? I mean, you’re Hondo Ohnaka!”

Hondo  _ beamed _ at that, and it made Quinlan’s chest just bubble with warmth.

“That I am, my friend! Who needs stupid ol’ Kenobi, anyways? The guy killed a bunch of people and lied about it! That’s not an ideal relationship partner, is it?”

Quinlan laughed again, and Hondo clapped him on the back, hugging him from the side. Then, Quinlan’s communicator went off, and he groaned. As soon as he picked it up, he could tell Ahsoka wasn’t happy.

“Hey kiddo,” Quinlan said “How goes the search?”

“It went well. Unfortunately, committee’s not gonna like what I found. Meet up in Padmé’s office in the Senate building, alright?”

“On our way now!” Hondo exclaimed, shoving Quinlan over. The Jedi turned off the communicator, offering Hondo an amused look before the two took off for the Senate building.

 

~#~

 

Fox  _ hated _ his job. 

Now that he was  _ allowed _ to think that, it felt pretty good to do so whenever he was called in for things that the Coruscant Guard  _ really _ weren’t needed on. Sure, protecting senators was a big deal, stopping major crime and protecting people who couldn’t protect themselves made him feel warm and fuzzy, but being asked to guard the door while the “Manhunt Committee” held a meeting behind closed doors “just in case”, well, it almost felt  _ insulting _ . 

Fox  _ really _ hated his job. 

He recalled the days when he had been tasked with protecting Chancellor Palpatine, his  _ vode _ outside of the Guard calling him the Chancellor’s lapdog. It had been a big duty, a big honor.

_ A big duty and honor that had not only been for a lie, but one you failed to live up to. _

Fox sighed, taking off his helmet for a moment and rubbing his hand down his face. He could hear someone shouting from inside the room, likely Cody or Vos, and then several other voices joined in. Fox put his helmet back on just in time for Tano to storm out of the office, quickly being followed by Barriss, who was trying rather desperately to get her attention. He could hear Senator Amidala sigh as Cody and Rex also left the room, the two giving brief nods to Fox as they passed. Finally, Vos and the Weequay pirate left the room, leaving the Senator on her own. 

Cautiously, Fox poked his head into the office, then his whole body, taking off his helmet as he did. Amidala looked  _ tired _ , and that was putting it mildly. Her face was buried in her hands, fingertips rubbing small circles into her temples.

If Fox hated his job, he couldn’t  _ imagine _ what Amidala must’ve been feeling about hers at that moment. 

“If you have something on your mind, commander, please say it,” Amidala said, but there was no heat to her words, just tired doneness “I’m not in a state of mind to try and figure it out.”

“What happened in here?” Fox blurted out “I heard shouting, and then I saw Master Tano barge out, everyone else leaving after her.”

Amidala looked at Fox, sighing. She took a deep breath and stood up straight, regaining her composure with practiced ease, but now that Fox had seen her vulnerable, it was much easier to see it in her eyes.

“Ahsoka got some bad news. I can’t exactly repeat it, this operation being rather…  _ quiet _ and all, but it was enough to set off Cody, who was  _ already _ frustrated, which only made Ahsoka mad, which made Rex all fidgety, and Hondo cracked a joke that only made them angrier and--”

Amidala stumbled, grabbing onto her desk for support even as Fox found himself lunging forward to steady her. She looked like she was about to cry. It wasn’t a look that suited her.

“I’m alright,” She insisted without being prompted “I’m just… A bit tired, is all. Haven’t been sleeping much.”

“Whatever you say, ma’am,” Fox said automatically, helping her stand upright “I’ll be taking my leave now. If you need me--”

“Thank you, commander. I appreciate it. I know you don’t enjoy jobs like this, but we can’t risk Kenobi finding out what we know and what we don’t, which means the public can’t know either.”

“I understand, sir,” Fox said, then, with a nod from each of them, he left the room, placing his helmet back on his head.

Fox  _ hated _ his job, but a lot of other people did as well, which meant it was a job  _ somebody _ had to do. Might as well be him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> didnt want to tag the obihondo thing bc its not a major plot point, but yeah. 
> 
> hondo is still a lot of fun to write.
> 
> star wars tumblr: clonesdeservebetter.tumblr.com


	9. Ancient Futures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which a man's suspicions are confirmed, and his true mission finally begins in earnest.

‘ _ Why is it, _ ’ Obi-Wan thought bitterly as he walked across the rocky banks of one of the many lava rivers on Mustafar’s surface ‘ _ That the ancient Sith were so hellbent on putting their temples on planets with the  _ **_worst_ ** _ conditions. _ ’

First was the one on Moraband, formerly known as Korriban. The planet was almost enough to make Kenobi homesick for Tatooine, it was no wonder Sith turned out as they did if a place like  _ that _ was where they trained.

Hm, maybe  _ that _ was why they put the temples on planets like that.

It didn’t matter why they put the temples there, or what they had been used for, or anything of that sort. At least, not to Obi-Wan. No, what mattered to Obi-Wan was the fact that these temples held  _ secrets _ and  _ knowledge _ . Knowledge on secrets he wanted to find out. Answers to questions he had been keeping to himself since the beginning of his whole ordeal nearly six years ago.

The nightmares, the truths within them, the lies they contradicted, the answers they gave and the questions they raised, the very thing that set him on his path, all began six years ago and did not stop until the Chancellor was dead. Then, for five years,  _ whispers _ . Promises of power, knowledge,  _ justice _ and  _ vengeance  _ (the words were synonymous, he had realized along the way), promises of  _ confirmation _ . He had been  _ right _ . He  _ knew _ it. He was the only one who could’ve done  _ anything _ , and now, with the holocron he had retrieved from Moraband and the privacy and power from the temple on Mustafar, he was going to  _ prove it _ , even if it was to no one but himself.

Once he  _ knew _ it,  _ then _ justice (vengeance) would be served, once more by his hand alone.

“ _ Arrogance does not suit you, you know. _ ” The voice that had been following him since his departure from Moraband muttered, and Obi-Wan gritted his teeth in annoyance. He knew the voice well, as it had been the one to teach him for so many years of his life (the one to scold and disapprove, the one to cast him aside without a moment’s thought).

“Shut up…” He muttered in reply, finally entering the single spot of cold in the hellish landscape. It was such a deep,  _ aching _ chill. One that rattled Obi-Wan’s bones and made his heart quicken in his chest. It was  _ intoxicating _ , and, not for the first or last time, Obi-Wan wondered how he had gone  _ so long _ without allowing himself to touch it, to be dragged under, to simply…  _ Feel _ the dark side, its chill and sharpness and  _ passion _ .

He walked the halls, the faint presence of his annoyingly attached spirit just a breath away from his side, before he felt himself drawn to an antechamber down one of the side halls, and recognized it as a sort of meditation room. The air felt dark and heavy, practically boiling with anticipation of what was to come. There was a large window letting in the dim glow from one of the several lava flows of the planet, but other than that, the round room had no real furniture or decorations. 

It was  _ perfect _ . 

“ _ You can still stop this, Obi-Wan, _ ” the spirit said condescendingly “ _ You can still return to the light. Leave this quest for blood behind. _ ”

Kenobi ignored it, carefully taking the red pyramid that was his very own sith holocron from its protective bag around his hip and placing it in the center of the room. The dark energy seemed to swirl around it, like moths to a flame. Excitement filled Obi-Wan as he knelt in front of the artifact, slowly drawing himself into a meditative state, drawing on the negativity and darkness both within him and within the walls of the temple itself, and focusing it into one single thought, an image in his mind.

And with that, the holocron opened, and Obi-Wan watched one of his very own nightmares unfold before him.

 

~#~

 

_ Several years ago _

 

“Obi-Wan?”

The soft, sleep-heavy voice of Cody was enough to startle Obi-Wan from his nightmare-induced spiral, causing him to look down at the commander resting his head on Obi-Wan’s chest. Obi-Wan offered a soft, but utterly unconvincing smile to him, and Cody frowned.

“What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

Obi-Wan laughed awkwardly, not wanting to get into a discussion about his dreams (his strange, vivid, recurring,  _ terrifying _ dreams), and waved a hand before using it to smooth over the hair on Cody’s head.

“It’s nothing but Jedi nonsense, my love. Nothing for you to worry about, I promise.” Obi-Wan lied, and although Cody gave him a concerned look, barely visible through the dim light of the apartment, Cody sighed and let it go, slowly drifting back to sleep and leaving Obi-Wan to think on what he had seen.

A river of lava, blue blades crossing, the feeling of _betrayal_ and _failure_ , _yellow eyes_ _that were once blue_ \--

Obi-Wan let out a soft breath, taking his hand away from Cody’s hair instead opting to tangle it up in the sheets beneath them.

He wasn’t going to be falling back asleep anytime soon. 

 

~#~

 

“I was  _ right _ ,” Obi-Wan snarled as the holocron closed “I  _ knew _ it.”

“ _ Did you? _ ” The incessant spirit said “ _ You saw those visions, this world is not the world they saw. It is wrong, and so are you. _ ”

“Shut up, you’re  _ dead _ .”

“ _ There is no death, Obi-Wan. Only the Force. I had hoped you would’ve remembered that much. _ ”

“I will  _ not _ be chastised like a  _ child _ by a  _ ghost! _ ”

Obi-Wan whirled around to face the spectre, and came face-to-face with the man that he had once called a master. He looked just as he had in death, though without the rather nasty lightsaber wound in his gut. Regardless, Obi-Wan was  _ less than happy _ to see the old man.

“You’re just annoyed that your  _ precious _ chosen one was going to fall, and even  _ more _ annoyed that I would’ve been helpless to stop it!”

“ _ Do you really think that, Obi-Wan? _ ” Qui-Gon’s spirit asked “ _ Or has the dark side truly warped your thoughts and emotions that much? _ ”

“I hate you,” Obi-Wan growled “If you weren’t dead, I’d kill you again. I’d kill you, then the rest of them.”

“ _ Do you truly hate me? If so, why? What have I done to offend you so? _ ”

“What didn’t you do?” Obi-Wan said, scoffing as he stood “I was  _ never _ enough for you, and when I was, you were so wrapped up in your  _ damn _ prophecies, you didn’t  _ care _ . You would’ve dropped me to take on that  _ boy _ in a heartbeat had the Council allowed you! And then, to top it all off, as  _ you _ , the closest thing I had to a sorry excuse for a father,  _ died  _ in my  _ arms _ , your last words were asking me to train the very same boy, with no regard for what  _ I _ wanted, for how  _ I felt _ !”

“ _ Obi-Wan-- _ ”

“ _ Shut up! _ ” Obi-Wan shouted, his gold eyes morphing into a sickening yellow “I  _ hate _ you! I hate you  _ all _ ! You will all  _ suffer _ for what you did to me, and once my training is complete, I will wipe out that  _ miserable _ hellhole you call a  _ home _ !”

“ _ It was your home once, Obi-Wan. It always will be, no matter how far you stray from it. You will always be Obi-Wan Kenobi, and on the matter of this undone future, you will always be wrong. _ ”

Obi-Wan let out a ragged scream, activating Maul’s lightsaber and using it to try and cut through the spirit of his old master, but before the red blade could hit, the figure disappeared, leaving Obi-Wan alone, the only light coming from the river of lava outside the window and the red blade in front of him. 

 

~#~

 

Lightyears away, in a soft bed wearing soft robes, Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker’s eyes flew open, and what was left of Qui-Gon Jinn hoped it would be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy, this cant end well. 
> 
> chapters a bit shorter than the usual, but i think the next few will... certainly make up for it in their own ways
> 
> star wars tumblr: clonesdeservebetter.tumblr.com


	10. Insubordination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which Anakin wakes up, a bad decision is made, and Padmé's very, very tired.

“ _ Mustafar _ ?” Cody’s voice was incredulous, rising nearly an entire octave at what they had all just been told by the Jedi in the bed “What the hell is he doing on  _ Mustafar _ ?”

Anakin shifted in his bed, grunting from soreness all across his abdomen. Barriss moved forward slightly, arms outstretched and ready to stop him, but he held out his own hand, motioning for her to stop, and so she did. 

“Something with a holocron. I’m not entirely sure, though. Master Jinn… Master Jinn wasn’t able to show me much. I think the dark energy there was messing with him.”

“And we’re  _ sure _ this wasn’t just some trick?” Padmé asked quietly, unable to silence the anxieties in the back of her mind “We know it was Qui-Gon who sent this vision? Not Kenobi?”

Anakin paused for a moment, shifting uncomfortably as he pressed a single hand to his stomach before he nodded.

“Positive, Padmé. It was him.”

“Well,” Ahsoka said, perking up slightly “Now that we know where he is, why don’t we go after him?”

“Ahsoka, we  _ can’t _ . Not yet.” Anakin said firmly, and the Togruta made a frustrated noise.

“Why  _ not _ ?” She demanded, and Rex stepped forward slightly, placing a hand out to hold her back.

“Sir, with all due respect, I agree with Ahsoka,” Rex said, evidently hoping to ease tension beginning to fill the room before it boiled over like it had yesterday “Now that we’ve located Kenobi, we should do what we can to get him back here. It’s why we’re--”

“We’re not prepared to face him,” Anakin interrupted, his tone so cold it sent a shiver down Padmé’s spine  “Not right now. He’s… He’s different. More different than we thought. He… He wants to  _ kill us _ , make us  _ suffer _ .”

Anakin’s voice was so broken, so distraught, so  _ wrecked _ that it took every ounce of Padmé’s willpower not to hold her ex-husband close and tell him everything would be alright, and that they would win the day. It would’ve been unprofessional, to say the least, and she knew the two of them couldn’t afford another scandal like that, not with the still-healing Republic’s eyes peeled for any weakness that could be exploited so that it could be taken out.

No matter how much she loved him, how much he loved her, they couldn’t be afforded that luxury. At least, not at that moment.

“Surely Master Kenobi’s in there  _ somewhere _ ,” Barriss said softly, pleadingly “He can’t just be…  _ gone _ .”

“I don’t think he’s been Master Kenobi for a long time, Barriss,” Anakin said quietly “The moment he started killing was the moment Obi-Wan was lost.”

Everyone was silent for a moment, the only sounds in the room being that of the soft beeping from the heart monitor and hum of other equipment in the room. Then, without a word, Cody shoved through the group, storming out of the room. Rex followed him quickly, then, with a nod to Barriss and a touch that lingered just  _ slightly _ too long, Ahsoka too.

Padmé wanted to follow as well, but she knew better. She didn’t think she would be much comfort to any of them at that moment, even though she couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. 

“Even if you  _ were _ prepared to face…  _ Him _ emotionally, you’re not ready physically. You’re still healing, Master Skywalker.”

“I know. I think this’ll be one of the few times I actually take a healer’s advice and stay.”

“It’s a miracle,” Barriss said quietly “Would you mind if I checked for a fever?”

That managed to get a small chuckle from the other occupants of the room (well, as close to a small chuckle as Hondo could get, considering he couldn’t seem to laugh without having the entire temple hearing it).

“I just hope it goes by quick,” Anakin said, suddenly somber again “Kenobi’s training himself in the dark side. If we don’t get him soon, we may not  _ ever _ be prepared.”

It was on that happy note that they began to leave the room, but as soon as the door opened, Barriss asked a question that came to everyone’s minds as they looked out into the hallway.

“Where did those three  _ go _ ?”

A pit opened in Padmé’s stomach.

 

~#~

 

“You’re both  _ insane _ ,” Rex hissed as they boarded the committee’s ship “If the others find out we’re doing this--”

“By the time they’ve realized we’re  _ gone _ gone, we’ll already have Kenobi back in custody, and we’ll be heroes.” Ahsoka said dismissively, and it reminded Rex so much of the reckless padawan that had once  _ actually _ had rank over him that he couldn’t formulate a response. Cody clapped him on the shoulder, but the commander’s face was grave, but almost in a defiant way. 

“If you’re that worried, you don’t have to come,” Cody said, which made Rex feel the need to stand up straighter “Neither of us are forcing you to come along.”

“I’m coming with you two so I can keep you both from getting yourselves  _ killed _ ,” Rex said, shoving Cody’s hand off of his shoulder “Maybe even make you change your minds about this.”

When his comment was met with silence and the clicking noises of someone in the cockpit prepping the ship for takeoff, Rex sighed.

“I  _ know _ how personal this is for you two,” Rex said “It’s personal for me, too, for all of us, but we can’t just throw caution to the wind and--”

“Rex, you’re my brother and I love you, but I’m not in the mood for a rousing speech on morality right now.” Cody snapped, cutting Rex off, which only served to piss the captain off.

“Well, you apparently  _ need _ to hear it! This plan is either going to get someone killed or in a lot of trouble, and that’s only if Kenobi doesn’t kill all  _ three _ of us at once.”

“He won’t,” Ahsoka assured “If he wanted to kill us so badly, why didn’t he do it on Mandalore?”

“Because he couldn’t at the time. You heard Skywalker. He wanted…  _ something _ with that holocron of his, and he only went to Mandalore to take Maul’s lightsaber and eliminate a threat. With both of those things out of the way, he’s going to kill us  _ all _ .”

“There’s still good in him, Rex,” Ahsoka said softly “There  _ has _ to be. Obi-Wan’s not just the type of person to go fully dark of his own free will.”

“He didn’t go of his own free will, we  _ pushed _ him! He’s been locked away for five years, that’s enough to make anybody go dark.”

“Rex,” Cody said, his tone a warning “We’re going to Mustafar to either  _ talk  _ Kenobi down, or  _ take _ Kenobi down. Either way, you  _ don’t _ have to come if you’re so worried about it.”

“Cody, you  _ can’t _ think, after everything, that there’s still--”

Rex was interrupted by Cody whirling around with a look of almost righteous fury in his eyes.

“Stay,” Cody growled “And shut up, or leave and tell everyone what’s going on. Make your decision now, Rex, before I make it for you.”

Rex opened his mouth, but closed it again quickly afterwards, opting to simply sigh.

“If we die, I hope I can say I told you so before it happens.”

 

~#~

 

“What do you  _ mean _ gone?” Padmé demanded “How can they just  _ leave _ ? I thought we were on lockdown!”

“I’m sorry, Senator,” The young guard said “They transmitted clearance codes, I-I thought it was cleared!”

Padmé sighed wearily, looking over to Quinlan and Hondo, who both nodded. She turned back to the nervous clone.

“We need a new ship, ASAP. Clearance codes included. They were  _ not _ cleared for this mission, and we need to get them back before they get hurt.”

“Padmé,” Barriss suddenly piped up, looking down at her communicator “We may have a bigger problem.”

“Oh no,” Padmé said, and the bad feeling was beginning to build more and more “Don’t tell me--”

“Anakin’s missing from the halls of healing,” Barriss said, confirming Padmé’s fears and cementing the headache she felt coming on “And his astromech was just logged as transmitting clearance codes from a shuttle.”

“So much for following the healers’ orders…” Quinlan mumbled.

Padmé let out a string of swears that even made Hondo look impressed, then, turning back to the guard, she gave an urgent look. He nodded, and ran off to go fill out the requests. She turned back to the others. 

“Barriss, you’ll need to come with us. We’re probably going to have injured, and you’re more than qualified for this. Quinlan, Hondo, start getting ready to move out again.”

“Will do, Senator!” Hondo said dramatically, giving an exaggerated bow that Padmé did  _ not _ have the patience to deal with at the moment. Instead, she reached into her pocket, and, upon feeling the carved japor snippet in her pocket, she sighed.

“I just hope we’re not too late…” She muttered quietly, even though that pit in her stomach kept increasing in size and depth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -star wars character vc- i have a bad feeling about this
> 
> star wars tumblr: clonesdeservebetter.tumblr.com


	11. Pride Cometh Before The Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which something terrible happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so sorry

Mustafar was, in Ahsoka’s humble opinion, probably what most people thought of when they thought of hell. 

It was hot, dark, dangerous, and, unbeknownst to the two clones,  _ drenched  _ in a dark aura, especially as they got closer and closer to where the Sith Temple supposedly was. Ahsoka felt every instinct, both from her species and her time in the Clone Wars, on edge, causing her to keep glancing around the area as they approached the entrance. 

“Be ready for anything, guys,” She said quietly, taking her lightsaber hilts in either hand, ready to be activated at a moment’s notice “He might already know we’re here.”

“Great,” Rex muttered, pulling out his blaster pistols “Just perfect.”

The temple wasn’t nearly as large as the Jedi Temple, but it was large enough to hide someone who wanted to be hidden, which was what really set Ahsoka on edge.

As they continued, the hall eventually came to a stop in a room that was tall and wide, columns decorated with Sith runes and images holding up the massive roof. Ahsoka’s breath hitched as the Force seemed to shift for a moment, and before any of them could figure out what was happening, the door behind them slammed shut, and for a moment, all light in the room was extinguished. 

Ahsoka activated her lightsabers as Rex and Cody turned on the flashlights attached to their helmets, illuminating only small portions of the large room. They all came back to back, looking around the room carefully. 

“I should’ve known Qui-Gon would tell you where I was,” The accented voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi called from the darkness “Although, I would have guessed that  _ all _ of the committee would’ve come to face me. Not just you three.”

“The others are on their way, Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka said, trying to find the source of the voice in the darkness “It won’t be long before they’re here. We wanted to talk to you all first, though.”

“Oh?” Obi-Wan’s voice held a curious tone to it, one Ahsoka couldn’t quite pin down, but she was fairly sure it was meant to be mocking “Are you going to make an attempt at diplomacy, Ahsoka?”

“Please, Master Kenobi, I  _ know _ you’re not as bad as you say you are, as the others say you are. There’s still time to come back.”

“Ahsoka, I never took you for a fool,” Obi-Wan said, and Ahsoka flinched as a large pair of curtains opened to allow the light of the lava rivers outside the temple into the room, showing Kenobi standing right in the center. He was frowning as he continued, “I’m _not_ _coming back_. I thought that was well-established by now. I’m not even sure that anybody but _you_ wants me to come back.”

“Barriss thinks there’s still good in you.” 

“Oh, Barriss,” Obi-Wan sighed out, shaking his head “Kind,  _ naive  _ Barriss.”

“Obi-Wan,  _ please _ ,” Cody said, his voice warbling for a moment as Kenobi’s first name passed over his lips “Just come with us. We can talk about this--”

“The Obi-Wan Kenobi you knew is  _ dead _ , I am all that remains. His memory, his pain, his  _ shadow _ .”

“All shadows are cast by something,” Ahsoka said, moving to a more defensive position “You’re in there somewhere, Obi-Wan. Barriss believes it, and I do too.”

“What’s  _ left  _ of Obi-Wan,” Kenobi snarled “Is just as twisted as I am. He is not your precious Jedi Master, not anymore. Never again.”

“You’ll never know for sure unless you let us help you.  _ Please _ , Obi-Wan--”

“ _ Enough! _ ” Kenobi shouted, lunging at the young Jedi.

Rex and Cody both rolled off to the side as Ahsoka’s lightsabers clashed with Obi-Wan’s own red one. 

“I don’t  _ need _ your help, nor do I  _ want _ it,” Kenobi growled as they began to fight in earnest “You already cast me away before, and now that I’m a threat, you want me  _ back _ ?”

“We were  _ wrong _ to put you there,” Ahsoka shouted back, though she knew they weren't, not really “I’m  _ sorry _ \--”

“ _ Sorry _ isn’t good  _ enough _ !”

The wave of Force energy that pulsed from him was enough to unbalance Ahsoka and send both Rex and Cody flying into columns, causing them to both ragdoll to the ground, unconscious. 

From Cody’s form, Ahsoka’s eye caught onto a small, silver tube skidding away from Cody’s form. Obi-Wan had apparently caught sight of it too, as he broke out into a wide grin. 

“Oh  _ Cody _ ,” Obi-Wan purred “You always  _ were  _ so  _ good _ at getting this back to me.”

 

 ~#~

 

_ A Day or So Ago _

 

Cody shouldn’t have been there.

He shouldn’t have been taking the box down from Skywalker’s shelf.

He shouldn’t have been taking the old lightsaber out of the box and clipping it to his belt.

He shouldn’t have because it was a liability, because it could make an already dangerous situation worse.

He shouldn’t have allowed his personal feelings on the mission affect him like that, make him sentimental, make him  _ hope _ as much as he did.

And yet…

 

~#~

 

Ahsoka let out a cry of pain as the blue-tipped red blade sliced through the muscle of her thigh, forcing her down. Kenobi kicked her backwards, hard enough that she was flung back a few feet, that she lost her lightsabers, that she was seeing  _ stars _ , blackness beginning to encroach onto the edges of her vision. 

She wasn’t going to hold out much longer. 

She was an  _ idiot _ . A reckless, stubborn, naive  _ idiot _ . 

She stared up into the golden eyes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, entirely sure they would be the last ones she saw, trying to find  _ some _ kind of peace in her death--

“Kenobi!”

Both she and Kenobi snapped their attention towards the entrance of the chamber, where Anakin Skywalker stood. His eyes were pinched, he was in pain, but he was  _ there _ , he was there to  _ help _ .

He would be there for them, just like he had always promised.

That was Ahsoka’s last thought before her world faded into black.

 

~#~

 

Anakin’s entire body was lanced with pain, every breath shuddered, his teeth grinding together. He saw Cody and Rex begin to stir, but even if they could wake up before the encounter ended, they’d be in no shape to fight. Anakin had to end it, and fast.

“Don’t try it, Obi-Wan,” Anakin said, his voice steady as a rock “It’ll only end badly for you.”

 

~#~

 

“Senator, you need to hurry!” Barriss pleaded as Padmé, Quinlan, and Hondo began to leave the ship “Something’s happened to Ahsoka, she’s-- They’re in  _ trouble _ .”

Padmé looked to the others, and with a single nod, they began to  _ run _ .

 

~#~

 

“Oh  _ Anakin _ ,” Obi-Wan said “How nice of you to join us. I  _ assure _ you, I mean no harm to your former padawan. She just needed to learn her place, is all.”

“That’s a load of bullshit, and you know it, Obi-Wan.”

“Oh, you always were so  _ good _ at figuring out lies. Well, except for the Chancellor, of course, but then again, he got everyone  _ good _ , didn’t he?”

“Obi-Wan--”

Anakin watched as Obi-Wan turned his lightsaber so that the red and blue blade hung just inches above his unconcious former padawan’s body, held steady by the grip of his former master. Blue eyes met gold, a terrified look brought on a smile of sick glee.

“ _ Oops _ .” Obi-Wan whispered.

The blade dropped down, straight through her chest.

Somebody screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yikes
> 
> looks like i did the one thing filoni never could
> 
> star wars tumblr: clonesdeservebetter.tumblr.com


	12. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which someone wakes up, a funeral is held, and strange things happen.

The first thing Anakin noticed when he woke up was that the only thing that hurt more than his throat was his  _ everything else _ .

The second thing he noticed was the rather heated whisper-argument happening in the far corner of his room.

“Senator, he’s in  _ no _ condition!”

“I know, isn’t there a way to wheel him out, or at least use the Force to stabilize him  _ just _ for that event?”

“That’s not how the Force  _ works _ , senator.”

The voice he now recognized as Padmé sighed.

“I know,” Padmé said quietly “But… There has to be  _ something _ , I mean, she--”

“Master Skywalker,” Luminara Unduli said cooly, effectively shutting the conversation down “It’s good to know you’re back with us again.”

Anakin slowly opened his eyes, quickly finding Padmé’s first, then Luminara’s second. The two women glanced at each other, and with a soft sight, Luminara seemed to relent.

“Alright, I’ll see what we can do. I can’t promise anything, though.”

Padmé nodded slightly, giving a quiet thanks as she and Anakin locked eyes again. Luminara must’ve read the room, because after giving a silent glance between the two, she cleared her throat.

“I’ll leave you to explain what’s going on,” Luminara said, moving across the room to leave “I need to go check on the other patients.”

The second the other master was out the door, Anakin made a valiant attempt to sit up, which was quickly thwarted by Padmé rushing at him and lightly placing a hand to his chest, guiding him back down as she sat on the side of the bed. 

“Sorry Ani, Luminara and the other healers wouldn’t like it much if I let you strain yourself like that again.” Padmé said, a slight smile tugging at her lips, that and her tone the only signs of amusement in a face otherwise filled with weariness and… was that  _ sorrow _ or  _ longing _ in her eyes? Or was it both? Anakin couldn’t tell, but he did realize he was staring at her when the expression fell, and he realized just how close they had gotten to each other.

Padmé moved back first, clearing her throat slightly as her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink. 

“So, uh, I suppose the first thing to ask is how much you actually  _ remember _ about what happened.”

Anakin blinked, wracking his brain in an attempt to locate the memories, but most of it seemed to just be vague feelings and sensations. 

And the last true memory he had… 

“ _ Ahsoka _ ,” Anakin gasped, trying once more to sit upright before Padmé stopped him again “Ahsoka was-- He--  _ What happened _ ? Where’s everybody else? Are they okay? Did he--”

“Slow down, Anakin,” Padmé said quietly, and Anakin stopped, taking slow, deep breaths in an effort to steady himself “The others are fine. Rex and Cody are here in the halls, too. They’re alright.”

Anakin let out a sigh of relief at that, but then, realizing a name had been left out, he prompted Padmé with,

“How’s  _ Ahsoka’s  _ treatment coming along?”

Padmé didn’t respond, instead looking down to her feet. He could sense her sadness, her grief, and he felt a chill roll down his spine.

“Padmé,” Anakin asked slowly, though it was getting harder to talk with the lump forming in his throat “Where’s Ahsoka?”

Padmé finally looked up at Anakin, tears streaming from her sad and beautiful brown eyes. She spoke in a soft whisper, barely audible to most, but it was as loud as a blastershot to Anakin.

“Ani…” She said, taking his hand in hers carefully “I’m so sorry.”

 

~#~

 

“Quinlan, my friend,” Hondo began, his usual bravado present as ever, though it seemed to have been muted somewhat by the recent tragedy “You know what you look like you need?”

“I’m not in the mood for drinking, Hondo,” Quinlan said quietly, his face buried in his hands “Not right now.”

Not with a funeral for a brave kid beginning so soon.

“Well, then it is a good thing I was not going to say that, huh?” Hondo sat down next to Quinlan, causing the Jedi to glance up from his cupped hands at the pirate “I was going to say you look like you need a good, one of a kind, Hondo Ohnaka brand hug.”

Quinlan sat up slightly, taking his face from his hands to look at Hondo with an expression that was some kind of strange cross between confusion and disbelief. But, lo and behold, there was Hondo Ohnaka, arms outstretched and ready to hold. Quinlan couldn’t really find it in himself to say no.

Hondo couldn’t really find it in himself to point out the fact that the Jedi had begun crying into his favorite jacket, nor did he want to. He simply placed a hand onto Quinlan’s back, rubbing soothing motions and, in a moment of wild spontaneity, Hondo placed a soft, chaste kiss onto Quinlan’s forehead.

In that same moment, Quinlan clutched Hondo tighter, seizing up for just a moment, but then relaxed. 

The funeral was still a few hours away. They could have that moment to themselves, Jedi code be damned.

 

~#~

 

“After he… After the lightsaber dropped, you started screaming. I hadn’t seen you that angry since the war, it was… It was  _ terrifying _ , but I think Kenobi knew that, because the second you lunged at him, he was ready. You two fought while the rest of us started helping the others get to safety, but you were still hurt, and he took advantage of it, and…”

Padmé had to stop herself for a moment before continuing, tears pouring from her eyes, unable to meet Anakin’s as she recounted what happened, barely restrained sobs causing her voice to waver as she did so. She pressed a fist to her mouth.

“I thought I was going to lose you,” She whispered, her voice uncharacteristically small and quiet, even to her own ears “I thought… But then Barriss and Quinlan stepped in, and Kenobi made a run for it, and we couldn’t chase him, we had to get you all onto the ship. By the time we reached Coruscant, Ahsoka… Ani, I’m  _ so _ sorry.”

She was saying words, and those words had meaning, but whatever they meant, Anakin couldn’t figure it out. It felt as though he was watching something happen far away through a pair of scopes, but they were ever so slightly out of focus. He pulled his hand away from Padmé’s loose grip, using it to cover his own mouth.

Ahsoka  _ couldn’t _ be gone. She  _ couldn’t _ .

Obi-Wan  _ couldn’t  _ have been the one to kill her. He  _ couldn’t _ .

In the war, it had always been the three of them, sometimes Rex or Cody or Padmé too, but no matter what, it was  _ them _ . Even when Kenobi fell, Ahsoka was still there, Padmé was still there, Rex and Cody and everyone else was there. 

He still had most of them, that’s what the rational part of his brain told him, but Anakin was too busy reeling from the emptiness he felt when he had tried to reach out in the Force to find Ahsoka. It was like there was a faint outline of where she  _ should _ be, places she  _ would’ve  _ gone. It was like she was a ghost, a memory, a  _ whisper _ .

Anakin had never handled death well. It was his biggest flaw.

This death was no different.

“She’s…  _ gone _ .” Anakin said numbly, his voice hollow as the feeling in his chest. The fact that he didn’t feel rage, or a thirst for vengeance, or a burning hatred, was almost…  _ surprising _ . A more positive part of him told him it was growth, his time away from Palpatine and getting proper training helping mold him into a better Jedi. A more bitter part of him told him it was a testament to just how  _ different _ things were.

Change was also something he didn’t handle well.

“Anakin?” Padmé asked quietly, pulling him from his thoughts “Are you okay?”

Anakin opened his mouth, closed it, then, in a way that reminded him too much of the cold young boy leaving Tatooine for the first time, he answered her.

“No. I don’t think I am.”

 

~#~

 

They had given Anakin a hoverchair. 

It was customary for everyone to stand during a funeral, especially for one of a Jedi Knight, especially for someone like Ahsoka, but he couldn’t. Standing hurt almost as much as thinking about what happened did, almost as much as the knowledge about her death did. 

They gave him a hoverchair, which still hurt to sit up in, but it was the least he could do to honor his fallen padawan.

‘ _ She wasn’t a padawan any longer, Anakin _ ’ He chided himself, only half listening to Yoda’s speech about her bravery and sacrifice, about how she was one with the Force now, how she was never truly gone, and the other part of him replied, bitterly  ‘ _ Maybe not, but she was still  _ **_my_ ** _ padawan. _ ’

It was almost hard to believe that the tarp-covered body being lowered into the floor was Ahsoka’s. Even during the most hectic and dangerous missions of the war, even when he was worried beyond belief for his padawan, he was never able to imagine…  _ this _ . He worried about her being hurt, being killed, but somehow that never equaled…  _ dead _ . 

But, she was.

(He saw Barriss crying out of the corner of his eye, saw Padmé barely holding it together beside the healer.)

And in that moment, in a flash of anger and grief, Anakin decided that Obi-Wan would be next.

 

~#~

 

“We should’ve been there,” Rex muttered the moment Master Unduli left the room “We should’ve been with them.”

“We were still recovering from the bacta immersion, Rex,” Cody replied, staring out the window from his bed to Coruscant’s skyline “Even if they had taken us, we wouldn’t have exactly been all there.”

“Oh, so  _ now _ you’re the voice of reason? Where was that when the bad decision that got us in this mess was being made?”

Cody didn’t answer, and Rex knew it shouldn’t have made him angry, but it did. If Cody hadn’t have backed Ahsoka up, hadn’t have  _ helped _ and  _ encouraged _ their leaving to go after Kenobi alone, she’d still be alive, and they wouldn’t be stuck in those  _ stupid _ beds, waiting for the okay to get back to work. 

“ _ Dammit _ Cody,” Rex hissed “I  _ can’t _ believe you--”

“Why?” Cody asked, his voice distant “This isn’t the first time I’ve done something stupid involving Kenobi.”

Rex’s throat went dry. Ah  _ hell _ . 

 

~#~

 

“Master Skywalker, you really shouldn’t be out of your chair.”

Anakin all but jumped out of his skin, the only thing holding him back from it being the intense wave of pain brought on by the action. He whirled around (wincing) and saw Barriss standing there in the hall, her arms crossed as she looked at the Jedi Master.

“Barriss,” Anakin said, his voice betraying his surprise and strain “I didn’t realize you were allowed back on duty yet.”

“A healer’s work is never done, Master Skywalker. I must grieve on my own time.”

An awkward silence passed between them, and Anakin had to talk to fill it, otherwise he’d never shake it.

“Barriss, I’m so sorry,” He said “I know you and Ahsoka were--”

“You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?” Barriss asked, interrupting him and causing him to backtrack in his mind. He sighed. 

“Barriss, he’s too dangerous to be kept alive.”

“It’s not the Jedi way, Master Skywalker! You shouldn’t kill when you can redeem--”

“Barriss, you  _ can’t  _ tell me you still think there’s a chance he could come back. After what he did to us, to  _ Ahsoka-- _ “

“I  _ know _ I shouldn’t, Master Skywalker, but… Something keeps telling me this is all wrong, like he’s  _ supposed  _ to be here, with us, on our side.”

“He isn’t,” Anakin said colder than he meant to, and a chill rolled down his spine at the absoluteness he had used in his tone “He’s been given two chances to come peacefully already, Barriss. I’ll give him only one more, but if he doesn’t, then  _ I will do what I must _ .”

Of course, he had said that for her benefit alone. Obi-Wan had been telling the truth back on Mandalore: he was beyond redemption, and now that Anakin could see that, no matter how heavy his heart, he would do whatever it took to stop Kenobi. 

For a moment, the world spun. Anakin’s breath caught and he stumbled, Barriss rushing forward to steady him. He tried to blink the sudden dizziness away, but found that after he did that, something even  _ stranger _ occurred.

It was as if two images were superimposed onto each other. One was there, at the temple, Barriss speaking but Anakin unable to hear her properly, as if he were underwater. The other was  _ Mustafar _ , though in a place he was familiar with.. 

And there, in all his Jedi Master glory, stood Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“ _ Only a Sith deals in absolutes, _ ” The vision said, drawing its lightsaber “ _ I will do what I must. _ ”

Then, from behind, Anakin heard his own voice answer back, unstable yet firm,

“ _ You will try. _ ”

“Master Skywalker? Can you hear me? Are you alright?” Barriss’ voice pierced through the scene, shattering the superimposed image with her concern “Do you need me to get another healer?”

“I’m… I’m fine, Barriss,” Anakin said quickly, though it was probably unconvincing, considering he sounded like he just ran a marathon with no preparation “I--“

“You need to  _ rest _ , Ani,” Padmé said, walking out of Rex and Cody’s room “The sooner you’re all cleared for action, the sooner we can finish this, no matter what the outcome is, alright?”

Anakin looked at Padmé, whose pleading brown eyes spoke to his very soul, and relented, slowly sinking down into his hoverchair. 

He sighed, idly realizing that the moment he was cleared, the council was going to  _ kill _ him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -casually adds to list of relationships- anywho
> 
> star wars tumblr: clonesdeservebetter.tumblr.com

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Cheers I'll drink to that Bro](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20777549) by [writehandman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writehandman/pseuds/writehandman)




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